SB 405 










,o> . • • ■ 



^ 









:^\*°' . *< 



r .• 




♦. ^ 






4? ^ 










ate* ,/\^l*\ ** .-*£:.*« 







^ 



■*•■ 







^ 


















"of 






t • • , **«■ 



«5°<* 






did** % <& ^V/fr % <£ • i 



.^♦_ ^ V* J • 1. *«£•» _ 'Q*. a'« 






otf <fx \<aK-' * * •**«• <**<►, 



• iv* e\ jr .*iZLr. "> v .iv- ^ 



V -^ 



• ^ A* ♦-" 



V 









. W7i 






t 



jsp §4 



PriceE5"CotS 



I nlxCcptr^l <§>qu&re £>cries 



H 





H 

■A /A^ r AL I 



Edwin Ruston 



V/. N.SWETT Ei Cft,PVBU3HERsJ 



£B KEAPe STREET, MErWYOR^ 



2$ 



&y 5ui3scription $3.00per year published i 

monthly july 1892. entered at the newyorkl 

Post-Office as second class matter. 



FLORAL TALKS. 



A MANUAL OF FLORICULTURE 



BY 




/ 

EDWIN RUSTON 



/^ARY Cr 
V* gOPYRi*^ 

AUG 16 1892 ) 

NEW YORK : 

W. N. SWETT & CO., Publishers 

28 Reade Street. 

1892, 



Copyright, 1892, by 
W. N. SWETT & Co, 



FLORAL TALKS. 



6" 



INTRODUCTION. 



What recreation will afford more pleasure, involving a health- 
ful exercise, than the cultivation of flowers? It is an exhilarating, 
interesting and ennobling work— so full of fascination — and 
when once begun it is likely to be continued. The love of flow- 
ers increases with all admirers of the beautiful as they are initiat- 
ed into the mysteries of their culture and habits. Beauty is per- 
sistent and progressive, and when it is once imbued into the mind 
it rarely loses its hold. It is possible to make the poorest habita- 
tion charming by the judicious use of flowers, while a few radi- 
ant buds and blossoms may cheer a sad and weary soul like a 
sunbeam in an unlighted room, like the smiles on faces we love, 
like the soft speech of hearts uttered by faithful friends. 

Every year shows a marked advance in the floral world, but 
to enumerate and describe all the various causes from which 
plants fail, would require a large and costly work, and this would 
require an annual revision to keep apace with the times, for new 
plant enemies, as well as plants are being discovered every year. 

In this treatise it has been the writer's aim to give in a con- 
densed practical shape, sufficient knowledge regarding the habits 
and requirements of such plants as may be cared for by anyone 
taking an interest in them with a small outlay of time and money, 
and with pleasure and satisfaction to the grower. It is hoped 
that the hints and suggestions offered in the following pages will 
be of much benefit to all lovers of flowers, and that the publica- 
tion of this work may assist in the promotion of floriculture to 
the satisfaction and pleasure of many households. 

E. Ruston. 

Syracuse, N. Y., April 1, 1892. 



FLORAL TALKS. 



There is nothing that will afford so much beauty and pleas- 
ure, at so little expense, as a window full of flowers. They are 
emblems of refinement, purity and happiness, and their good in 
the community is by no means small. The exercise involved in 
the care of plants is restful, because it is a change from the or- 
dinary work. It is one of the greatest moral and physical health- 
giving recreations anyone can follow. It is educational, because 
whoever grows plants for the love of them is sure to become in- 
terested in their growth, and when once interested it is likely to 
be continued, for it is so full of fascination, and they are such 
wonderful teachers of nature. Dear reader, remember this, wher- 
ever you go: if you find flowers growing you will most generally 
find kind hearts and hospitality. 

It is my desire to tell how I have grown such plants as I 
write about, with satisfaction to myself, and to help those who 
desire to cultivate them ; and especially those who would grow 
flowers, but are afraid, to for fear of failure, because of a lack of 
knowledge as to their cultivation. 

Let me first say, however, that there are no set of rules which, 
if closely followed, will always lead to success in the culture of 
flowers. The treatment given one plant may not at all answer for 
another, therefore we must carefully study our plants, and in 
order to study them properly, one should love them, if we would 
know how to care for them successfully. 

What Flowers to Grow in the House. 

Many have been known to fail in floral culture simply be- 
cause they commence at the top of the ladder, so to speak, instead 
of at the bottom, and I thought it best that they should be first 
told this fact. My advice is to begin with a few plants, not too 
many. Do what you do thoroughly; this is the secret of success. 
As you gain in experience and become familiar with your plants 
you can branch out then. A dozen good plants well cared for are 
a delight, while a whole house full of starved, neglected things are 
a misery. 

Now suppose you have one window on the south or east side 
of the house (preferably the south) which you can devote to 
plants. In it you can have about a dozen. I would not have 
more, for they would be too crowded. Flowering kinds are what 
you want for the most part, of course. Well, if I were allowed 
to choose for you, I would first choose the geranium, because it 



6 FLORAL TALKS. 

will stand more neglect than any other plant and do reasonably 
well ; but it does so much better with good care that it ought not 
to be neglected for all that. Again, it is the least subject to the 
attack of insects, and the list of varieties is so large that everyone 
can satisfy their taste. There is every shade of red, crimson, 
scarlet, salmon, pink and white. A few of the best varieties for 
"Winter bloom are Master Christine, dwarf pink, a very fine bloom- 
er; Mrs. E. G. Hill is a lovely blush, overlaid with a delicate lav- 
ender shade, double, and Mrs. Moore, which is pure white, with a 
ring of bright salmon around a small white eye. I would also 
have a rose variety, for its sweet-scented leaves are excellent for 
small bouquets. 

The ivy-leaved geranium is a new form recently introduced, 
and has certainly proven to be one of the most glorious gems of 
the floral world, having glossy ivy-like leaves of a graceful and 
trailing habit, and the gay-colored flowers combined form an ob- 
ject of a most striking contrast and beauty. They are always 
robust and healthy and are of the easiest culture either in pots, 
hanging-baskets or open ground. 

Abutilon or flowering maple is another desirable house plant. 
The foliage is clean and beautifully marked, bearing a strong re- 
semblance to the leaf of our sugar maple. In fact, the whole 
plant looks much like a dwarf maple tree. It is a constant bloom- 
er, and the flowers, which are bell-shaped, are of a drooping habit. 
The colors are white, red, pink, yellow, purple and scarlet. Like 
the geranium, this plant is not subject to the attack of insects. 

The calla lily is too well known to need description, how- 
ever it is shamefully neglected in treatment. Heliotrope is a fa- 
vorite flower, and makes a handsome plant for the window, if it is 
well cared for. Its clusters of lavender and purple flowers are 
not only beautiful but very fragrant. It requires plenty of sun- 
shine and a good deal of water, especially upon its foliage, which 
should be syringed or sprinkled daily. 

Cyclamen is particularly adapted for window culture, and 
will give abundance of flowers with less care than almost any 
other plant. The colors are usually white, tipped at the base with 
rosy purple. A small pot should be used, and the crown of the bulb 
should be placed just above the surface of the soil, and set away 
in a cool place until the leaves are well grown. When the flower 
buds begin to show well, remove to a sunny spot, where they will 
open. This plant should be kept as near the glass as possible. 

For many years the petunia has been one of the leading flow- 
ers in the garden, and few plants can give more general satisfac- 
tion for the window. The double variety is generally selected for 
window culture. 

Carnations are the most magnificent of all the dianthus fam- 
ily. A rival to the rose. They are beautiful, fragrant, and give 
plenty of flowers a long time. 

Oxalis is a good plant for hanging baskets ; but to succeed 



FLORAL TALKS. 7 

best with it for Winter bloom, the bulbs should be potted as early 
as possible in the Fall. The principal cause of failure of hanging 
baskets is that they are very apt to be neglected, and suffer for 
want of water. They are so exposed on all sides to the heated 
atmosphere of the room that they dry out very soon, and the 
water which is given them, quite often without taking the basket 
down, does not penetrate to the roots, but simply moistens the 
surface soil. The best and most satisfactory way of watering 
hanging plants is to take them down and set them in a pail of 
water for a while, when thoroughly wet place them in a sink to 
drain. Now a word in regard to soil. While it is true that many 
plants require a soil especially adapted to their peculiarities, yet a 
preparation made up of one-third leaf mold, if obtainable, and 
one-third turfy matter from under sods in old pastures, and the 
other third equal parts of sharp or builders' sand and ordinary 
garden mold. When I cannot get leaf mold, I use two-thirds 
more turfy matter and one-third made up of well-rotted manure 
and sharp sand. This mixture will need but little variation from 
the original preparation to suit most plants, which it is advisable 
to attempt to cultivate in the house. 

For ivies, which are similar to roses in this respect, I would 
leave out about half of the turfy matter, and put in garden mold, 
as they require a more stiff and compact mold or soil. 

Among the list of Winter plants the begonia should not be 
overlooked. Its cleanliness, beauty of foliage, combined with 
graceful flowers, and free-blooming qualities, make a most desir- 
able plant. The begonia family is divided into three classes, and 
are known as tuberous rooted, flowering, and rex or ornamental- 
leaved varieties. 

The tuberous rooted variety is very showy, and blooms pro- 
fusely during Summer for a long time. During Winter they may 
be allowed to remain dormant, and about March can be repotted 
in fresh, light soil, and started into growth again. Amateurs who 
have but little room for the accommodation of house plants would 
do well to select this variety, because after blooming in the Sum- 
mer and Fall it can be allowed to rest, by withholding water and 
put in some cool place, free from frosts, where it will remain till 
Spring. 

The rex varieties, of which there are a dozen or more, vary- 
ing in color and markings, are very effective as pot plants, and 
can be kept in perfection many years by cutting back when the 
joint stems become naked, making new plants of the cuttings, and 
repotting the old roots in fresh soil and allowing them to rest for 
a few weeks. Rex begonias are very partial to a warm atmos- 
phere, and do well in the heated air of the living-room. They 
will drop their leaves if too cold or wet. 

Flowering varieties make beautiful pot-plants for either Sum- 
mer or Winter decorations, and a poor choice may not be made 
because all are exceedingly beautiful. Hybrida multifloria has 



8 FLORAL TALKS. 

flowers of a rosy pink color, and is a charming, graceful 
bloomer. 

Begonias like a rather light soil, and a mixture of about one- 
third loam, one-third half mold, and the other third made up of 
well-rotted manure and sharp sand will suit them. Bad drainage 
and over-watering is the worst thing that can happen to begonias, 
or in fact to any plant. 

Few house plants are more popular and give better satisfac- 
tion if properly grown than the Chinese primrose (primula sinen- 
sis). The flowers are all varieties of form and color, from the 
pretty single, so like the wild wood blossoms, to the charming 
double kinds, which resemble roses. Primroses delight in a cool 
place, with plenty of light and not very much sunshine, althoi gh 
they will bear a little if not too intense. A north window suits 
them best. 

About the time the flower buds appear the plants should be 
set where they are wanted when in bloom, because they prefer to 
have their place assigned them and be undisturbed; and in water* 
ing care should be exercised that no water fall on the crown or 
cluster of buds, as it produces rot, and even the foliage is impa- 
tient of it if used too freely. 

Changing them to positions of considerable difference in tem- 
perature should be avoided, for while the plants will endure 35° 
at night and 80° during the day, yet they become adapted to one 
place and do better if allowed to remain there. Do not crowd 
them among other plants, because they will not thrive so well as 
when given plenty of room. 

The soil for primroses should be fine, light and rich; leaf 
mold, muck or garden mold which is found beneath the sods of 
old pastures, mixed with sufficient sand to make it light and por- 
ous, and a liberal supply of well-rotted stable manure. This will 
make a good soil for them. "Where leaf mold cannot be had, chip 
dirt from around old wood piles will do. I would prepare the 
soil early, and when wanted for use thoroughly pulverize and sift 
it, because the rootlets of these plants are so very fine and tender 
that they cannot penetrate hard lumps of earth. 

Young plants should be set in small pots. Using the soil as 
prescribed, pulverized and sifted; shade and attend to watering 
until well established in the little pots. Watering by immersing 
the pots to the rim in a pail of tepid water will be found to be the 
very best and safest way, for spraying them, even if very fine, 
will quite often break or damage their leaves, which are very tender. 

As soon as the plants fill the pots with roots they should be 
repotted, changing to pots only one or two sizes larger, and treated 
as when in the smaller pots. Care should be taken not to allow 
the plants to become root-bound, because they will receive a severe 
shock from which it takes a long time for it to recover. Aim to 
keep the plants growing healthfully, and no more, if you would 
have flowers of large size and great beauty. 



FLORAL. TALKS. 9 

This plant seldom requires larger pots than four or five-inch, 
but should the roots become too much packed, give them a still 
larger pot, or else they will lose their vigor and produce small 
flowers. 

To have the largest and best bloom, young plants should be 
raised each year. With a little care there is no reason why flower 
lovers should not be rewarded with profuse and lovely bloom all 
through the long, cold, cheerless Winter. 

Some Annuals. 

Perhaps some of our flower friends would like to cultivate a 
few flowers during the coming season, but are unable to devote 
much time to flower gardening on account of other duties. Under 
these circumstances 1 would cultivate a few annuals, for they will 
usually give the best satisfaction for the amount of money invest- 
ed, find they bloom so profusely that the garden can be made 
bright and cheerful during the Summer and Fall. 

If I were asked to select some of the best annuals, my choice 
would be as follows: Pansies, phlox and petunias. These three 
make very rich beds of showy, fragrant flowers, giving an abun- 
dance of bloom from midwinter until frost. The portulacca, 
which delights in a warm sun and sandy soil, are very effective 
when used for borders of beds. They make a very brilliant and 
gorgeous display when sown in masses. Nothing can be better 
for bouquets than sweet peas. They have delicate and fragrant 
flowers, varying in color from the brightest pink, and including 
the darkest purple imaginable. Th balsam, like the aster, is one 
of the most beautiful of our annuals — producing flowers of many 
colors and markings. Stocks, with their variety of tine colors, 
and large spikes of beautiful sweet-scented flowers are certainly 
very desirable for either garden or pot culture. ' 

From this list quite enough could be selected to fill a mode- 
rate-sized garden, and will occupy all the spare time that can be 
devoted to them, if a good orderly garden is desired, and it should 
not be otherwise. Aim to have quality, not quantity. 

Two Good Vines. 

One of the best vines for the window or conservatory is the 
passion flower, generally catalogued as the Cassiflora. It is a 
beautiful, rapid growing vine, and is desirable for training about 
windows or a trellis. The flowers are curiously crimped, crape- 
like, and fringed, and are the admiration of all who see them. 
They are exquisite in color, being a rich blue, marked with brown 
or green, and are very delicate in texture. The leaves, which are 
of a bright green, grow similar in shape to the American ivy, and 
are five parted, but it will be seen by the accompanying illustra- 
tion that the edges are smooth, while the leaves of the latter plant 
are notched. The vine would be well worth cultivating for its 



10 FLORAL TALKS. 

foliage alone, but when laden with flowers its beauty can t>e bet- 
ter appreciated than described. 

The bovardia is a beautiful plant when well grown, and is 
deserving of much attention. The plants are quite easily grown, 
and will reward the grower with a profusion of beautiful flowers. 
They are of a shrubby growth, with flowers borne in clusters. 
To have plants in the proper condition for Winter blooming, it is 
best to pot young plants in the Spring and encourage a free 
growth by giving a weekly watering of liquid manure and never 
allowing them to become root-bound before changing to a larger 
pot. During the Summer's growth the back branches should be 
cut occasionally to make the plants bushy and compact, which 
will also produce a larger flowering surface. Pinch all flower 
buds that appear during Summer. When the time comes to house 
plants iu the Fall, give this one a warm place in the window and 
shower its foliage frequently to keep down the red spider. David- 
son!, white, leiabtha scarlet and rosea niultiflora, pink, are the 
best varieties. 

Among the flowering vines there is nothing so desirable for 
sitting-room culture as the hoya, perhaps more generally known 
as wax plant. It has large, pointed ovate leaves of a very thick 
texture, which enables it to stand dust, dry air and heat, quite as 
well as the ficus or India rubber plant. The flowers, which are 
of a flesh color with a darker centre, are star shaped and borne 
in clusters. They have a delightful perfume, and hang on the 
plant a long time before fading. A peculiarity of this plant is 
that the flowers are produced from the same peduncles or stem of 
the flower cultured each year, and after the blossoms have fallen, 
the little stub that is left to mark the place where they were born 
should never be removed, as would be supposed, because it will 
destroy future crops of flowers. Should you want to give flowers 
of a plant to a friend, cut off single flowers, but not a cluster, on 
the main stem. 

In its growing season the hoya should have the highest place 
in the window, so as to get all the heat possible, but should be 
in the shade of another plant, so as not to be exposed to the full 
and direct rays of the sun. Spraying the leaves frequently will 
cultivate much of their luxuriance, and will assist in keeping 
down the mealy bug, its particular insect enemy. Let the soil be 
rich, sandy and light, and do not over water, but give it just 
enough to keep the soil nice and moist all through. 

It takes this plant some time to get fully established, and 
sometimes, after it is rooted, it will appear to stand stilly for a 
while, and will make one impatient, when all at once it will be- 
gin to grow, and will sooner or later bloom. 

This vine should have a stout trellis, because the leaves are 
quite heavy, and usually the ordinary sort are too slender to af- 
ford the plant a proper support. In season of rest, it will bear to 
be kept rather dry, and moderately cool. 



FLORAL TALKS. 11 

Watering Plants. 

How often do you water your plants ? This question has 
been repeatedly put to me, and while it may seem to be of do 
great importance to the eyes of some flowergrowers, yet it is a 
very important part of floral culture. 

Many persons mechanically soak their plants, just as if they 
were a piece of machinery, which requires oiling so often, wheth- 
er dry or not, and others fall into habit of giving a little at a time, 
and often. The first method is not so bad as the last, if good 
drainage has been provided, which should always be the case, 
because all surplus water will naturally run off through the hole 
in the bottom of the pot, the soil only retaining sufficient water 
for the plant; but where a little at a time is given, even if it were 
often, thus they are led to believe it is wet all through, but if the 
soil should be turned out of the pot, they would probably find 
the lower half as dry as dust. 

There is only one safe rule to go by in watering plants, and 
that is this : Whenever the surface of the soil appears dry, then 
give sufficient water to thoroughly wet the earth all through. 

I find the best and most satisfactory plan in watering plants 
is to place them in a sink, there they can be watered to advantage, 
and without wetting the floor. It is always a good plan to do the 
watering in the morning before the sun shines on them, or in the 
evening after the sun has gone down. I believe one reason why 
plants do not give satisfaction in the sitting room a great many 
times is, because the leaves are allowed to become very dusty from 
sweeping. The leaves of plants are the lungs or breathing appar- 
atus, so if the pores of the leaves are allowed to become stop- 
ped up with dust, what is the result? It would have a similar 
effect upon plants, as it would upon humanity if their lungs be- 
come clogged, producing a sort of drying or wasting away of that 
most important organ, and a consequent gradual decline in health. 
So if we are to have vigorous looking plants, we should keep their 
foliage clean, which can be done by syringing them or washing 
them. A greater proportion of the dust can be prevented from 
settling on the plants while sweeping if a light cloth or newspa- 
per be spread over them carefully. A word to the young people. 
Among my readers I presume there are a good many young peo- 
ple. 1 wonder how many there are who like flowers, or are inter- 
ested in their culture. Perhaps not many, but I am quite sure 
that if all knew how much pleasure there is in cultivating a few 
flowers, no home would be without its flower garden, provided of 
course their circumstances would allow it. There is a great deal 
of valuable knowledge to be acquired from the study of plant 
growth, and they certainly have a refining influence upon the 
mind and character of those who become interested in their de- 
velopment day by day. 

Some people are under the impression that there is a knack 



1£ FLORAL TALKS. 

about growing flowers, and unless they possess a peculiar gift 
they cannot succeed with them. If you really love flowers 
enough to give them such care as they require, you can grow 
them easily. Grow a few flowers the coming season and ob- 
serve the results yourself, but by all means do not plant too much 
to begin with, as is the case with many beginners. It it far bet- 
ter to begin with a few less particular plants before undertaking 
the care of some which require more careful treatment. As you 
gain in experience and become familiar with the requirements of 
the plants under your care, it will do to branch out. 

Herbaceous Plants. 

Flower lovers ought not to forget to ' give some attention to 
herbaceous and perennial plants and their cultivation. This ex- 
tremely useful class of flowers will afford a great deal of pleasure 
to the persons who plant them, at a small outlay of labor; and 
after they are once planted they require but little further care for 
a long time. When they have become well established they are 
pretty sure to give an annual bloom. 

Herbaceous plants, like many others, have both their advan- 
tages and their disadvantages. There is little weeding to be done 
that cannot be accomplished with the hoe; no seed beds to make 
in the Spring, aud sowing seeds and the work necessary to^be 
done among them each season will not amount to as much as that 
required by a bed of annuals. So far, it would seem that the 
argument is in favor of herbaceous plants, but when you consider 
the fact that annuals, as a rule, give a supply of bloom during 
the whole Summer, the argument seems to be strongest on the 
other side. To those who have unlimited time I would advise the 
cultivation of both. 

To those of my readers to whom the time is limited, it would 
perhaps suit their circumstances best if they were to grow the 
herbaceous kinds, among which there are many very beautiful 
aud desirable kinds. 

Herbaceous, or border, plants require rich, mellow soil in 
which to grow, and the weeds and grass should be kept from 
choking them. 

Work in an annual application of well-decayed manure around 
the root of the plants. See that these hints are attended to, and 
they will flourish and increase in size and beauty for a long time. 
Chip dirt from around old wood piles is excellent to put about 
these plants as a mulch, and it is usually coarse enough to be of 
value in keeping down the grass and weeds. 

Perhaps some of the plants here described do not come under 
the title "Herbaceous Plants," if spoken of with botanical ac- 
curacy, but I will classify them all together as a matter of conve- 
nience. 

Decentra, or perhaps better known as bleeding heart, is a 
very graceful plant. It has very fine foliage and flowers, which 



FLORAL TALKS. 13 

are borne in racemes about a foot long, and droop in a very grace- 
ful way* Flowers are heart-shaped, being pink with a creamy 
white centre. 

What is more excellent than the daisy for the border or low 
beds? It is a beautiful little plant that produces very double 
white and pink flowers. The florist's daisy is not the same as those 
which grow wild in our pastures. 

The paeony, with its massive fragrance and grand blossoms, 
is a very satisfactory and hardy plant. What a trio of excellence. 
This flower, like a few others, seems to carry one's thoughts back 
to old times and associations. It ought to rank among the tirst 
of our hardy plants. 

There are many more varieties now than when our grand- 
mothers grew them. The old red, which society has named P. 
Ruba, P. Rosea, and P. Officinal, are good varieties. [ imagine 
you will say, "Oh, they are as old as the hills; I want new kinds." 
Well, please don't discard these old friends to make room for new 
ones, without a little hesitation. If you will have new kinds, then 
grow both. Among our new varieties are P. Fragrans, one of the 
best pinks; Strata Speciosa, white centre, pale rose, very sweet; 
Pattsii, purplish crimson, and festive white spotted with carmine. 

Paeonies are not rapidly growing plants, and until they are 
well established do not show what they are capable of doing. 
They may be planted either in the Spring or in the Fall, and when 
once set do not meddle with the roots, because they do not like 
their roots disturbed. After making a good growth, which takes 
at least two years, they will reward the owner with rich colored 
flowers. 

There are few more desirable plants for abed on the lawn than 
the hollyhock. Many have discarded this old valuable plant to 
make room for something new, because it is not the fashion. 
However, I feel that the time will come, if not already on the way, 
when many of our old time-honored flowers will rank among the 
first in our flower gardens. 

The tall growing varieties of the hollyhocks are desirable for 
backgrounds, and are very effective when planted along fences, 
or in front of old wood piles, which it is desirable to hide, and 
when used for this purpose, the double kinds, which are dwarf 
growers, can be used in front of the tall ones to good advantage, 
and thus a perfect bank of bloom can be had. 

Japan anemone is a flue plant for late blooming, coming in 
nearly after everything else has gone. The best effect can be had 
by growing them in clumps about the roots of trees. 

Give them a few years to establish themselves and they will 
surprise you some Autumn day with a delightful bloom, when 
most flowers have faded. 

Astilbe japonica (spirea) is a hardy herbaceous plant which 
bears delicious trusses of feathery flowers, and is handsome as a 
border plant. Florists use it for Winter fencing extensively. 



14 FLORAL TALKS. 

Delphinium (perennial larkspur) is a good blooming plant, 
bearing flowers of many varieties, and shades of colors. The 
foliage is clean and pretty, and the habit of growth strong and 
good. Formosum is an old variety with blue flowers of exceed- 
ing richness. There are newer varieties which in tone are 
lighter. 

A good clump of delphinium will often measure six feet 
around, and each stalk for a third of its length will usually be 
covered with blossoms. The Sweet William is a very old, and 
once popular flower, but during the rage for bedding plants has 
been somewhat forgotten However, its merits will again be ap- 
preciated when people get tired of bedding plants and it will 
rank among the best of our old-fashioned flowers, when they again 
become popular in the flower garden. There is nothing more 
hardy or more sure to grow and grow well. It has been greatly 
improved upon in the past few years, the blossoms now being 
much larger than of old, and of exquisite color and markings and 
some are very double like miniature roses. 

The odonis is a good plant, bearing a bright yellow flower, 
and having finely cut foliage. 

Rocket is a very desirable plant. It needs no description, for 
it is too well known. 

The perennial phlox produces a very brilliant show of flowers. 
It is perfectly hardy and the flowers are borne in large masses 
from two to three feet in height. 

Lilla violet, Adelina Patti, white eye, rose color, Dutchess 
of Sutherland, pure white, are fine varieties. The yuccas are 
an interesting class of plants. They give to the garden some- 
thing of an oriental or tropical appearance that is exceedingly 
pleasant. They will survive most of our Winters, if well covered 
with litter or leaves in the Fall. There are several varieties of 
this plant, but Y. filamentosa is the hardiest. It will send up a 
strong flower stem during the Summer, bearing a large spike of 
whitest flowers. Yuccas are evergreen perennials, and they de- 
light in a rich soil. 

There are other good herbaceous plants which should be nam- 
ed, but it would take up too much space to describe all of them 
here. From the above list enough of them can be selected to fill 
all the space in an ordinary sized garden that you would care to 
devote to this class of plants. 

Most of the plants above named are hardy enough to stand 
our coldest weather without protection, but they will do enough 
better with protection to pay for all the trouble in giving it. If 
not protected the continual thawing and freezing exhausts their 
vitality to such a degree, that it takes them most of the following 
season to recover from the bad effect. Give them a light cover- 
ing in the Fall, of litter or evergreen boughs, and in the Spring, 
when danger of severe frosts has passed, remove the covering and 
your flowers will come out strong and healthy. 



FLORAL TALKS. 15 

Ornamental Climbers. 

One of the most interesting and useful classes of garden plants 
are the climbers. For making screens, and covering fences, 
arbors and verandas. In the flower garden, and the adornment 
of rural homes, no class of flowers are more useful than these, 
and no drapery devised by the highest art of man ever equaled 
the glorious drapery with which nature beautfies the stump, the 
ruin or the tree. 

Among the climbing annuals there are two which ought to 
be in every collection — ihe morning glory (convolvulus major), and 
sweet pea. The former is well known, and the only fault to be 
found with it is, that the flowers are open only in the early part 
of the day, being brightest at about sunrise, and in order to en- 
joy their beauty one must arise early. However, the sight of a 
good bed of these flowers on a dewy morning, with the bright sun- 
beams shining full in their faces, is quite enough to tempt any 
lover of the beautiful to arise early and enjoy their glory. The 
sweet pea is adapted for training over fences or low trellises, and 
for large bouquets nothing can be better, because the flowers are 
lively, delicate and deliciously fragrant. It is a profuse bloomer. 
The cobola scandens is another good tender climbing plant. It 
has fine foliage and bears large bell-shaped flowers, which are 
green at first, changing to a deep violet hue. Its growth is quite 
rapid, and if strong plants are set out early in the Spring and in 
good rich soil, they often grow twenty feet in length and branch 
freely. 

The only objection to this plant is that the seed does not 
germinate as readily as that of other plants. It requires care and 
favorable conditions, and no great amount of success need be an- 
ticipated by sowing seed in the open ground. Start them in the 
house or hot bed by placing the seed in moist earth, edge down- 
ward, and do not water until the young plants appear, except 
that the earth becomes exceedingly dry. If care is taken, and 
good judgment exercised, there is no reason why this plant can- 
not be easily grown from seed. Plants may be removed to the 
house in the Fall, if desired, where they will do reasonably well. 
Tropaeolum, or nasturtiums, are among the very cleanest, pret- 
tiest and best climbers. The flowers are so plentiful, the colors 
so varied, and the comparative ease with which they can be rais- 
ed, are qualities which speak much in their favor. T. Lobbra- 
num is a very rapid grower, and bears brilliant and colored flowers. 
Caroline Smith, spotted; Colour de Bismarck is a peculiar shade of 
brown; Napoleon III, yellow and red. There are also dwarf 
varieties, which grow about a foot in height, that make very at- 
tractive beds when grown en masse, and are also excellent for 
rockeries. Crystal palace gem, yellow spotted with maroon, and 
King Theodore, very dark, are two good varieties. Nasturtiums 
are very desirable to work into bouquets, and the peculiar fra- 



16 FLORAL TALKS. 

grance, which is delicate but pronounced, make them a special 
favorite. A soil that is rather stiff but not too rich will suit 
them best. 

The Madeira vine is a tender tuberous plant with thick, 
glossy, light green, almost transparent leaves, having a root or 
tuber very much like a potato. It is a splendid climber and will 
grow to a remarkable height during a season. The tubers should 
be planted out in the Spring, when they will grow at once, 
and, if in a warm, sheltered place, very rapidly, until the slender 
branches with their pretty leaves have covered a large surface; 
and when I add that it bears white flowers, which are quite deli- 
cate and very fragrant, I will leave you to judge whether it is a 
desirable plant to grow. In the Fall the Madeira tubers can be 
taken up, first removing the tops, and stored in a cool but frost- 
proof cellar. 

Ampelopsis quinquefolia (Virginia creeper) is in my estimation 
equal, if not superior, to the well-known English ivy. It is per- 
fectly hardy and ornamental, easily transplanted, a vigorous 
grower, and one that will flourish anywhere, on any soil, and 
almost under any condition. It furnishes the most dense and 
graceful shade of any plant, and is quite free from insects. It is 
supplied with many spiral tendrils, which are almost as strong as 
wire, and the firmness with which they grasp any object makes it 
quite able to support itself well in almost any situation, and to 
defy the fiercest winds and storms. In the Fall the leaves change 
in color to a bright crimson hue, which for a short time is very 
effective, and before falling are of the deepest scarlet. 

The wisteria is another very beautiful climber, bearing hun- 
dreds of long, pendulous racemes of delicate light blue flowers, 
which often measure twelve inches in length. The flowers ap- 
pear about the last of May, and before the leaves; at least, before 
the leaves have made but little growth. The wisteria is said to 
be hardy and able to withstand our Winters, but I prefer to put 
a light covering around the roots for protection. 

Window gardens and their arrangement require thought and 
care, as well as any other feature of domestic economy. I am 
often asked the question, "How do you manage to have such 
beautiful plants?" and I often feel inclined to answer, as did the 
doctor in the case of the lady who had been taking too much 
medicine, that all that was needed was light, water and air. 
These three words involve so much meaning that perhaps it would 
be well to give a more definite explanation. Well, no exact rule 
can be given, but the first thing is to see that the plants are kept 
moist, not only on the surface of the soil, but all through. The 
leaves should be sprinkled at least once in a week in order to 
keep the pores open and free from dust. On bright days, open 
the window and let in the fresh air, but the air or draught should 
not blow directly on the plants. A thermometer should be kept 
in the room which ought to register about 60° or 70° during the 



FLORAL TALKS. 17 

day and about 45° at night. Admit all the light possible, and 
place all soft-wooded plants nearest the window. They must 
have light or they will lose color and vitality and grow crooked 
and one-sided by reaching toward the light. Many plants, such 
as primrose, narcissus, hyacinth, and other bulbs, will do better 
in a room without fire, provided the atmosphere is above freezing. 
Ivies, hoyas and passifloras make good climbers. Ivy geraniums, 
smilax and oxalis will do well as basket plants, and geraniums 
and begonias of the flowering variety will bloom to the best sat- 
isfaction. 

For the sunless window, flowering plants are not likely to be 
successful, but there are other plants sufficiently attractive, with- 
out the aid of flowers, that will thrive well in such a window, 
and for this purpose the India rubber tree is a good plant. It 
grows slower in the house than if kept in the greenhouse, but 
after a few years' growth you will find that it will take up con- 
siderable room, even in the sitting room. 

Ardisia and aspedistra are also good plants where strong, 
bold foliage is desired. A shady window offers a fine chance to 
grow a few ferns, but they must be protected from the heated 
atmosphere of our rooms by means of a fern case. 

Nearly everyone who has grown flowers has learned some 
thing about them which they have not read about, and I would 
be glad to have you send in hints and suggestions drawn from 
personal experience, that would be of interest to your sister flower 
growers. 

There are some hints that may be properly suggested about 
flowers and their arrangements, but as for instructions, none can 
be given with an assurity that, if followed, they will always lead 
to success. It requires good taste and some knowledge of the 
harmony of colors, and these cannot be purchased or taught, al- 
though they may be cultivated and developed to a certain extent 
so as to produce good results. Some persons have the knack of 
arranging flowers tastefully and naturally, because they are gifted 
and work from a natural basis, while others cannot excel, for the 
simple reason that they do not possess the faculty the successful 
person does. 

It is a great thing to discover and bring out the ornamental 
side of what is called homely and common — weeds if you like — a 
gift which only some favored few possess; but those who have it 
can clothe their surroundings with beauty in spite of the most un- 
favorable circumstances. Thus dandelions are not generally 
valued, except for the amusement of children, who love to fill 
their aprons with the *' pretty stars in the grass," but take an or- 
dinary stone butter jar, the deeper and darker blue the better, 
avoid the abomination of decorating it in any way, and into this 
"ar drop a mass of the golden blossoms, and then you will have a 
it of color that every artistic eye will appreciate. 

The main idea in arranging flowers is naturalness. Avoid all 



t 



18 FLORAL TALKS. 

artificiality and everything that will take the attention from the 
flowers themselves, and aim to make them look as much like grow- 
ing on their own stems as possible. Another point is not to put 
too many flowers in one vase, or torture them into shapes and posi- 
tions that Nature never put them into. It is too common a habit 
to crowd a mass of blossoms, with very little foliage to relieve 
them, into one-third of the space which they would naturally oc- 
cupy. 

By way of illustration, which will perhaps give you a better 
idea of what I mean, suppose you cut a branch of sweet peas with 
long stems, not too many for they must not be crowded, and do 
not attempt to arrange them, for it is a characteristic of this flower 
that it never can be anything but graceful under any circum- 
stances; you want just enough to fill your vase and allow them to 
bend about naturally, which they cannot do if crowded in the 
least. Now drop them into a vase with a flaing mouth and 
they will arrange themselves in such a way as to delight the eye 
of an artist; some will droop, others will remain upright, but the 
general effect will be airy, graceful and delicate. If you were to 
add to this beautiful vase of flowers a cluster of scarlet geraniums 
or roses, where would be the delicate effect? Gone. There is 
no harmony between the two flowers, and the addition has taken 
away the beautiful effect produced by the sweet peas alone. The 
roses and geraniums when taken by themselves are beautiful, but 
when combined with sweet peas the good qualities or effects of 
both are lost. 

Take this same cluster of roses and put them in a bowl with 
nothing but their own leaves and you will have another beautiful 
bouquet that will be appreciated by all who see them. If you 
should add a stalk of gladiolus the effect of the roses alone would 
be spoiled. The gladiolus, like roses and geraniums, are beauti- 
ful flowers, but they do not harmonize well together. 

Again, scarlet geraniums and salmon ones do not combine 
well, but any white flower can be used with scarlet, and deep- 
toned orange or brown flowers, like coreopsis, can be effectively 
grouped with the salmon varieties. 

When it is possible, flowers should be surrounded by their 
own foliage, and the rich green of perfect rose leaves is particu- 
larly handsome. Some writers say that roses should never be 
put into vases with any other flower. This may be applied as a 
general rule, but there are exceptions to most rules, and to this I 
will make one exception. Say you had a vase of pink roses, and 
desire something to increase or bring out the good effects. Add a 
flower of the wild clematis or virgin's bower and note the effect. 
The clematis, with its delicate, airy nature, gives precisely the 
unstudied grace which any vase of flowers should have. 

If you practice on such combinations and study their effects 
carefully, you will understand better what I mean. In arranging 
flowers always bear in mind that the dish or vase chosen to con- 



FLORAL TALKS. 19 

tain them should be of a character to suit the flowers, as, for in- 
stance, short-stemmed flowers like balsams show to the best ad- 
vantage in shallow dishes, while tall flowers should be given tall 



There can be no greater sign of human progress than the evi- 
dence all around us, of the earnest, energetic people becoming im- 
bued with the love of plant life. Flowers are emblems of re- 
finement, purity and happiness, and I have observed that those 
families who cultivate them live in peace and love. Quarrels 
and continuous strifes, which so often curse and blight domestic 
life, are seldom known where flowers are grown. Does not the 
experience of mankind largely, if not fully, confirm the truth of 
this observation ? They possess a charm that seems to temper 
the hardness and sordidness of earthly life, and excite in the mind 
the tenderest, most kindly, innocent and cheerful thoughts. The 
pleasure of cultivating a flower garden, and the particular love 
for its products, afford a quiet observation and thought, and there 
is pleasure in all the work. One must give care and companion- 
snip to plants and bowers in order to learn their graceful nature 
and feel their beneficial influences. They are unrivaled, too, as 
friends and companions, and their conversation is always in char- 
ity and good sense. 

The importance of this subject, seems to me, would justify a 
careful examination into it, and if the result of that examination 
be given to the world, I feel sure it would be favorable to the most 
beneficial influence of flowers on domestic happiness. 

Every family can surely find a little space for flowers, and if 
it is only a few feet square you can have many choice plants. 

The labor and care required to keep a few flowers in proper or- 
der is not as much as people imagine, and their missions, like 
the angels, are pure, while their color, symmetry and fragrance at- 
tract the eye, delight the sense of smell and kindle a taste for 
the beautiful. 

A pot or box of flowers in a city window contributes to the 
happiness of all -.v>io see it, and the fragrance which ascends from 
their swaying blossoms has a tendency to sweeten not only the 
atmosphere of the room in which they may be, but the very nature 
of the occupants of the house, though it should happen to be a 
humble tenement. 

If you have plenty of flowers, give them with a liberal hand 
to friends and acquaintances who have none, and, above all, to 
the sick. Perhaps a few of our readers can appreciate the pleas- 
ure and encouragement a gift of flowers must be to those who are 
unable to be out of doors and enjoy the beauties of Nature. A 
gift of flowers can be seldom unappropriate, if ever, either to> 
young or old, and purity and goodness are painted on every petal. 

There has been a great deal written about the care of plants 
in the sitting room, and how they should be treated so as to be a 
pleasure at all times, and yet the subject will bear further com- 



20 FLORAL TALKS. 

ment. I think one reason for dissatisfaction is due to the fact 
that many times they are allowed to become too dusty from 
sweeping. This may be partially avoided if a light cloth or news- 
paper is thrown over at that time, and occasionally the leaves may 
be washed in clear water which will leave them clean. Then, 
too, the art of watering plants requires careful study, for some 
plants need wetting much oftener than others, and it is seldom 
that a whole collection requires water at the same time. 

The amateur, however, who really loves flowers, will readily 
learn this, but there is one thing I wish to call particular atten- 
tion to, and which is of great importance in plant culture. It is 
to provide perfect drainage, that is, place an inch of broken crock- 
ery or small pebbles in the bottom of the pot, so that all surplus 
water will run off. If plants are given what they want or need, 
but above all, fresh air, I see no reason why you should not suc- 
ceed with them. 

A word in season. It will soon be time to make arrangement 
for the Fall planting of bulbs, and before giving a list of the most 
desirable sorts, I wish to make a few preliminary suggestions. 
October is considered the best month for out-door planting of 
bulbs, although they can be set anytime later, so long as you can 
get good bulbs and the frost will allow you to put them in the 
ground. It is not, however, best to wait for the last chance. 
The soil in which to plant bulbs should be light and sandy, and 
enriched with plenty of well-rotted manure, which is the best of 
all for bulbs, and may be used in any condition. It is a good 
idea to raise the bed, in which bulbs are planted, a few inches 
above the level of the yard, and if a little higher in the middle 
than at the sides it will be an advantage. 

The potting of bulbs for blooming in the house may also be 
continued through the month. A good soil for this purpose, and 
one which I have used with success, is composed*of one part leaf 
mold from the woods or fence corners where leaves have drifted 
for a long time and rotted ; to this add one part sand and two 
parts soil from beneath the sods of old pastures, and mix the 
whole thoroughly with a small quantity of well-decayed manure. 
This compound requires but little variation of the ingredients to 
make it a proper soil for the cultivation of most of our flowers, 
and I would advise all who intend to grow flowers to get a little 
pile on hand. You can keep each ingredient in a separate box 
or pile, if desired, and mix as wanted for use. 

After bulbs have been potted, they should be set in a cool, 
dark place for a few weeks to form roots, so that when you bring 
them to the light and warmth, they may receive nourishment 
from the soil to support the growth of leaves and flowers. If 
you want something to brighten up a window and make your 
house cheerful and home-like, don't fail to have a few bulbs. 
Let each of my readers try half a dozen, at least, whether he or 
she be interested in flowers or not. Encourage your children to 



FLORAL TALKS. 21 

love flowers and grow them. You will make better boys and 
girls of them, and the small amount invested in flowers will never 
be regretted. 

Bulbs for In-doors and Out. 

August, the last of the Summer months, is gone. Another 
season of buds and blossoms will soon be numbered among the 
past. The ripening leaves are about to put on their gala dress of 
gold and scarlet before bidding us a long farewell, and the Au- 
tumn storms, and Winter cold, will soon compel us to retire to the 
sitting room and parlor. Here we may seek pleasure in the soci- 
ety of books, plants and friends. 

1 have carefully prepared the following list of bulbs for Fall 
planting in the garden, and for forcing in the house. The de- 
scription of each is brief, which must necessarily be, in order to 
mention all of them in the space devoted to this department. They 
are all charming flowers and excellent for decorating purposes to 
brighten up the'window in Winter and make home cheerful. All 
are beautiful and desirable, but, if there is one that I admire more 
than the others, it is the Bermuda or Easter Lily. One of these 
bulbs should, by all means, be in every collection. 

The Bermuda or Easter Lily. 

This is a favorite flower everywhere, and one that will give 
satisfaction. It was exhibited at N. Y. Horticultural Society in 
1881, by Prof. W. K. Harris of Philadelphia, Pa., and was named 
Lillium Harrisii. Since then it has been extensively used for dec- 
orative purposes at Easter, and the general public have substitut- 
ed the name "Easter Lily." By experiments it has been found 
that bulbs of a superior quality can be produced in the Bermuda 
Island, than when raised in our dryer climate, and so remarkably 
does it succeed there, that it is now known as the Bermuda Easter 
Lily. It is a very free bloomer, and is not difficult to succeed 
with, as some people imagine. Give it the same soil as recommend- 
ed for hyacinths and tulips, and after potting set in a cellar, or 
some place where it is cool and dark, until roots have formed. 
When you bring it to the window, give it the coolest place. Do 
not allow the direct sunlight to strike the plant, and if you have 
provided good drainage, you may be reasonably sure of success. 
If you desire them by Easter, the pots should be brought up by 
the middle of February. The flowers are large trumpet shaped, 
of she purest white and delightfully fragrant. Can anything be 
more beautiful? I much prefer them to hyacinths or tulips, and 
would advise all those who love flowers to try one, and before the 
season of bloom has ended you will wish you had half a dozen 
instead of one. Sometimes the lily is attacked by green lice. 
Should you discover any, take particular care to keep them from 
damaging the plant, which can be easily done, by washing or 
syringing the leaves and stalks with a decoction of tobacco. Avoid 



22 FLORAL TALKS. 

the use of this after the flowers appear, because it will stain the 
petals. 

The Freesia. 

This bulbous plant is a native of the Cape of Good Hope, and 
was introduced into Eugland many years ago, but for some rea- 
son it dropped out of cultivation, and little has been known of it 
until recently. For Winter blooming it is one of the best. The 
flowers are yellow, sometimes pale or even creamy, with an orange 
blotch on each of the lower divisions of the perianth. Some are 
white, occasionally showing a few violet lines on the lower divi- 
sions of the flower. They are delightfully fragrant and each stalk 
will bear a cluster of from two to a dozen flowers, which last for 
several days. They are very easily grown in pots the same as tu- 
lips or hyacinths, but instead of setting one bulb in a pot, you can 
plant half a dozen in a five inch pot, because they are so small. 
The foliage is not unlike that of the gladiolus, only much smaller. 
The Freesia will give much pleasure for the money invested, and 
it would be well to have half a dozen pots. After they have com- 
pleted their growth, which can be told by the dying leaves, take 
the bulbs from the soil, wrap them in paper, and keep in a dry, 
cool place during the Summer. In the Fall you can repot them 
again, 

The Hyacinth. 

Among the Dutch bulbs the Hyacinth is perhaps the most 
beautiful, fragrant and most popular. No flower has done so 
much to make cheerful the tedious Winters of northern coun- 
tries as this. When a plant is in full bloom in the house it will send 
forth its delicious perfume and till the air of a room with breath 
of Spring. Hyacinths differ in habit very much. Some varie- 
ties throw up strong flower stalks, with a bold or rather loose 
truss, while others have but a short stem with a compact truss. 
My preference are the single varieties, because they have larger 
spikes and the flowers are not so crowded together. This is, how- 
ever, a matter of taste, and there are others who may prefer the 
double varieties. There is a variety called the Roman Hyacinth, 
which is not as popular as the ordinary sort, but with those who 
love flowers for real beauty, it will become a favorite when once 
known. The flowers of this variety are somewhat smaller than 
the ordinary hyacinth, but what they lack in this respect is fully 
made up in gracefulness and quantity, sending up, as they do, 
from one to tive flower stalks from the same bulb. The flowers 
are not so closely set along the stem, and are given a chance to 
show themselves, while the others grow such short stems that 
the flowers are not given chance to develop, and much of their 
beauty cannot be seen. 

Narcissus. 

This is one of the most popular bulbs for forcing. The flow- 
ers are very delicate and emit a delightful perfume. Perhaps 



FLORAL TALKS. 23 

some of our readers are familiar with the fabulous story connect- 
ed with this flower, but for the benefit of those who may not 
have heard of it, I would say that it runs to the effect that Narcissus 
was the son of Cephisus, one of the Grecian River gods. He was 
uncommonly beautiful and fell violently in love with himself on 
seeing his figure reflected in the fountain, and wasted away with 
desire until he was changed into the flower that bears his name. 

The varieties of the single and double Narcissus are hardy 
with us at the North, but the polauthus family are tender in this 
locality in the open ground and should be kept for Winter forc- 
ing. For forcing, one bulb is sufficient in a five or six inch pot. 
There is a variety of Narcissus of the polanthus family that is 
comparatively new to many flower lovers; it is grown extensively 
in China as a national flower, for blooming at Christmas and New 
Year, and is known as the Sacred Lily. The bulbs are very 
large, and each one throws up many flower spikes bearing clus- 
ters of pure white flowers, with a yellowish centre, which are 
quite fragrant. They can be grown in soil or water. The Chi- 
nese usually flower them in a bowl or some vessel, filled with 
pebbles, in which the bulb is set. The dish is then filled with 
water and set in a light sunny window, where it blossoms in two 
or three weeks. It is not always that one can get the true bulbs 
in this country. 

Tulip. 

The Tulip has been a favorite flower for many years, and it 
comes as a matter of course in such variety that it is an easy mat- 
ter to suit all tastes in the selection of color. You could invest a 
good many dollars in named varieties without duplicating the 
bulb; but I would not advise you to do this, for some of the 
cheaper sorts are quite as satisfactory as the higher priced ones. 
Named varieties are sold at fancy prices because they are new, 
and not because of special beauty. Mixed collections can be had 
at very reasonable prices, and contain nothing that it is not well 
worth growing. The variety, known as the Due Van Thol, does 
well in the house; but, as a general rule, it is best to leave the se- 
lection of variety with your dealer, unless you are experienced in 
this line, simply telling him whether you desire them for pot or 
garden culture, and what colors you prefer. 

The Crocus and Snow Drop. 

The Crocus is an interesting Spring blooming plant. It is of 
low growth and blossoms much earlier than any of the other 
bulbs. It is often used for borders along the edges of walks and 
beds, and it is one of the few plants that can be set in the grass to 
take care of itself year after year, and without the least fear of 
being crowded out of the grass. Few other garden plants give 
signs of awakening from Winter's slumbers when this comes into 
bloom, and only the Snow Drop is earlier. The Snow Drop may 



24 FLORAL TALKS. 

be treated like the Crocus, and one of the best uses that may be 
made of both is to set them here and there in the grass during the 
Fall. There are other bulbs that are desirable for Fall planting in 
the garden; but to describe each separately would take up too 
much space, so I will simply mention them and you can find the 
description in some catalogue. The Lily of the Valley is known 
by everyone, and a sweet little flower it is; but the Scilla and 
Crown Imperial are not so well known, yet they are worthy of 
notice and perfectly hardy. 

The Grape Hyacinth is an interesting plant bearing little blue 
and white flowers. Then there is the Iris or Flowering Flag, as 
it is sometimes called, and the Anemone, which produce very 
pretty flowers, as all will admit who have seen them. 

Decorations for the Holidays. 

At the approach of the holiday season, the subject of room 
decoration is one of interest almost everywhere, but in many 
communities it is often puzzling about this time to decide as to 
what shall be used for the season near at hand. Flowers are 
usually scarce at such times and involve an expense too great, 
that it cannot be afforded in many instances and the question pre- 
sents itself, "how shall we trim?" 

Well, we must first have something to trim with, and the 
foundation of most of the work, which I propose to outline here, 
will necessarily contain evergreens of different varieties, such as 
Cedar, Spruce, Pine and Hemlock. These are all sombre colors, 
I fancy you will say, but by a little thoughtfulness, at the proper 
season", bright Autumn leaves and the berries of some of our 
wild flowers may be gathered from the woods which will relieve 
this sombre effect produced by the evergreens. Some people 
make a habit of gathering ferns and Autumn leaves to press, and 
if any of our readers, who are interested in the coming festive 
decorations, have been thoughtful enough to gather some the 
past season, here is an opportunity to use them; for nothing 
makes prettier or more fairy-like decorations than ferns, and the 
bright Autumn leaves work up elegantly. The large leaves of 
the English Ivy and Ivy Geranium, where such are at command, 
taken from the branches, can be used to form many pretty de- 
signs; or the growing vines, with their pots concealed, may be 
draped over pictures and windows in a very artistic manner. 
Then we have the bright fruits of the Wild Rose, Climbing Bit- 
ter Sweet, Sumac and Mountain Ash, while the different varieties 
of everlasting flowers furnish much valuable material. In some 
parts of the country grains or grasses, if gathered before they 
become too old and carefully dried in the shade, can be used to 
great effect. 

A careful summary of the materials here mentioned will re- 
veal the fact that we have a pretty good stock, and which costs 
nothing but a little forethought, and care in gathering them at the 



FLORAL TALKS. 25 

proper time. In decorating, festoons of evergreen can be made 
to bring about very satisfactory results if judiciously arranged. 
These are made with a stout rope, and fastened in place by wind- 
ing twine or fine wire about them as fast as the evergreen is put 
in position. Care should be taken to wrap the twine firm, if you 
would have a substantial wreath. An occasional cluster of the 
bright berries or fruits, previously mentioned, may be worked in 
the festooning in such a manner as to produce very pleasing ef- 
fects, but unless you have plenty of them I would advise using 
them sparingly, or perhaps a better way would be to wait until 
you have the festoons in place, and then add the little clusters of 
berries or everlasting flowers where they will stand out in bold 
relief. 

Nothing is more suggestive or pretty than mottoes, and those 
who possess the art of making the letters for this purpose can 
render valuable assistance to the decorator. The letters should 
be cut from heavy card-board with a sharp knife, after first de- 
termining the heighth you want them, and marking out the letters 
with a lead pencil. The surface of each letter is next covered 
with small branches of evergreen, and fastened in place with a 
needle and thread or glue, and afterward trimmed into shape 
with the scissors. If some of the bright hued materials of what- 
ever you have to work with is worked in the letters, it will give 
a bit of color that will contrast effectively with the more solemn 
tints of the evergreen, and, where judiciously used, cannot help 
but please the eye. 

In most communities there are persons that can make real 
pretty paper flowers, and where real flowers are not obtainable, 
vases of these paper flowers mingled with dried leaves, grasses, or 
everlasting flowers, can be displayed in a very satisfactory manner, 
while groups of bright Autumn leaves interwoven with ferns may 
be securely sewed to heavy paper or card- board and fastened to 
the walls of the rooms here and there, to relieve the bareness. I 
would suggest that the card-board used for this purpose be as near 
the color of the wall as possible. This will give your work the 
appearance of being attached directly to the wall, instead of on 
paper. 

Two very pretty designs for festive decorations are a star and a 
cross. The star can be made quite easily out of laths or similar pieces 
of wood, nailed together so as to form a triangle. Make another 
triangle of exactly the same size and shape, and nail both triangles 
together in such a manner as to bring the point of each opposite 
the centre of each lath that form the triangles. This will form a 
six-point star that will be strong and durable. This may be cov- 
ered with evergreens in the same manner as the festooning and a 
small cluster or something bright may be fastened to the inter- 
sections of the triangles. A small bouquet can be suspended in 
the centre of the star by two fine wires crossing each other like 
an X, thus giving it the appearance of being finished. A very 



26 FLORAL TALKS. 

pretty star can be formed out of large ferns in the following 
manner: Select from your collection of pressed ferns six of the 
largest and most perfect and having the straighest midrib, make 
them all the same length, and after drawing a circle on a sheet 
of stiff paper or card-board about two or three inches in diameter, 
arrange them about the circle as uniform as possible, with the 
base or widest part of each toward the centre. The space in the 
centre may be tilled with a small bouquet of artificial flowers that 
will combine effectively with the light green of the ferns. This 
will make a six-point star that will attract attention and admir- 
ation for its peculiarity. 

A good cross is about as effective to make as any of the fes- 
tive designs, but I will endeavor to outline one, so that with a 
little patience and some knowledge of the use of the saw and 
hammer you may construct a very reliable cross. The frame 
work does not of course require a very fine display of wood or 
workmanship, inasmuch as it is hidden from view, so you need 
not be discouraged if your work is not as smooth as that which 
a skilled workman could produce. Now, for an illustration, sup- 
pose we take four laths and nail them together in the form of a 
flat cross; that is, have two laths perpendicular and two horizon- 
tal, leaving a space between them of say two inches. Take an- 
other frame the same size and shape and then fasten small blocks 
or squares of wood between the two frames at the top, bottom and 
arms. You will next want a base. This can be made out of two 
boxes, one being a little larger than the other. Nail the smaller 
box to the upper side of the larger one, leaving an equal space 
on each side. To the centre of the small box fasten the frame, 
and the cross is ready to be decorated. Some strips of cloth can 
be w r rapped about the frame work and tacked, to which small 
branches of evergreen may be firmly and smoothly sewed. This 
part of the work should be neatly and carefully done, so as not 
to appear rough and uneven, and if necessary it may afterwards 
be trimmed a little with the scissors. Add here and there a bit 
of something bright to give an expression, and, if obtainable, an 
ivy draped about it, with the pot concealed, will produce very 
pleasing results. For the base, nothing is better than moss and 
ferns. As a usual thing they can be found quite near to where 
the evergreens grow, and whoever is elected to go for the ever- 
greens can at the same time procure the ferns and moss. The 
ferns should be kept in a cool cellar till wanted. Where live 
ferns cannot be obtained, pressed ones could be used instead, but 
not wfth quite as good results, of course. 

A very pretty device for the wall is a floral pocket. This is 
usually constructed of willow, and resembles an oblong basket 
cut lengthwise, with the wicker work turned up on one side to 
form the back. Some florists, I believe, keep them on hand, but 
anyone for that matter, can easily make a pocket or rack out of 
card-board, similar to tho reused for holding newspapers, only 



FLORAL TALKS. 27 

smaller of course, that will be as serviceable as one made of wil- 
low. The outside of the pocket can be covered with evergreens, 
which will hide the material that it is composed of from view. 
Partially till the interior with dry moss, and to this you can fasten 
everlasting and artificial flowers, mingled with grasses, grains 
and ferns, by first dipping the stems in glue, and thus produce 
the appearance of a basket filled with flowers, which, if artificially 
arranged, will produce a beautiful effect in the decoration. There 
are many more beautiful designs that could be suggested but it 
would occupy too much space. Many designs will however sug- 
gest themselves to those who are really interested in the work. 

Abutilons. 

Pendant flowers always possess a peculiar charm about them 
that other flowers do not, and the merits of the Abutilon make it 
superior to any. At least, that is my opinion, which is based 
upon my experience with this class of plants. It has all the good 
qualities required for ordinary room culture. The plants are of 
thrifty habit and grow in good shape with about as little training 
as any plant. The foliage, in form, bears a resemblance to the 
maple tree, and it is therefore known by the more common name 
of flowering maple. The leaves of some varieties are beautifully 
variegated, giving to them the appearance of mosaic work, while 
others are perhaps less attractive, yet all are clean, pretty and 
graceful. The Abutilon is almost a constant bloomer, and the 
pendulous bell shaped flowers are borne on long stems well out 
from the foliage, thus producing a delightful appearance as the 
the airy bells swing to and fro against the green and mottled leaves. 
The attractiveness is much due to their erect, stately form, and 
handsome foliage, and when kept clean by frequent syringing, a 
plant out of bloom is very pretty. The Abutilon is of easy cul- 
ture, and will thrive in almost any soil, but it will do enough bet- 
ter if given a soil that suits it to make it worth while obtaining 
such. I find that it delights in a soil composed of loam and 
the turfy matter found beneath the sods of old pastures. To 
this add a very small quantity of sand and enough well-rotted ma- 
nure to make the whole moderately rich. Provide good drainage 
and water regularly, and in sufficient quantities to moisten the 
soil all through. The Abutilon is quite free from the attack of 
insect enemies, although the green louse and red spider may 
sometimes be found on it. To rid the former, sprinkle or syringe 
with a decoction of tobacco stems, and the latter, by the free 
use of clear water all over the leaves. 

If you want them to give you the most flowers during the 
Winter, it is best to set the plants in a cool sheltered place in the 
Spring, and keep them rather dry until Fall. About September 
cut them back well and repot them in fresh soil. Give water in 
small quantities at first, and increase by degrees as the new growth 
appears and the plant requires it. Aim to keep up a steady growth, 



28 FLORAL TALKS. 

and occasionally during the Winter it will do to give an applica- 
tion of liquid manure. 

If you want to secure a bushy plant, pinch off the ends of the 
branches when they have grown to. the height desired. This will 
cause new branches to start from every leaf joint, which can, in 
turn, be pinched back when they have made a few inches growth. 
By persevering in this process of pinching you can get all the 
branches you want, and, besides having a well formed plant, it 
will produce a large flowering surface. Some may prefer to grow 
them in the shape of a tree, and in this case but one stalk should 
be allowed to grow, thus forming a trunk, and when this has at- 
tained the height of three feet, pinch off the top to form branches. 
Allow no branches to grow, however, except those near the top, 
and by pinching these back as soon as they have made a few 
inches growth, you can have as compact and bushy a tree as jou 
wish. 

Of late years so much improvement has been obtained by 
seedlings variously crossed and by hybridizing, that the original 
species are nearly superceded. The varieties range through 
shades of orange, scarlet and rose to pure white. A variety known 
as Thompsonii has flowers of orange and scarlet while its leaves 
are beautifully blotched with bright yellow and light and dark 
green. The blotches of yellow and green are entirely distinct up 
to the point where each are joined, giving it the appearance of 
mosaic work. Those who wish to order some special variety will 
find the following variety of culture: Boule de Neige, pure white; 
Golden Fleece, pale yellow, and Rosaeflorum, rose color, one of 
the best. 

Why not Train the Geranium? 

It is seldom that we see a well formed geranium, while every 
where can be seen scrawny, ill-shaped specimens of all descrip- 
tions. A training of this plant for its own special beauty seems 
to be an undertaking that our flower lovers do not wake up to, 
but if all realized the signification of a well-trained geranium, I 
feel sure that there would be a great many more better formed 
plants. 

A properly pruned and well grown specimen should secure 
to the cultivator, first a compact and bushy plant, instead of the 
long-legged, scrawny things usually seen. Secondly, a plant with 
leaves standing out on all sides, and not from one side alone, 
while the other shows nothing but naked branches. Thirdly, 
last, and perhaps I may add most profitably, a larger production 
of flowers, because they are produced from the ends of the 
branches, and of course the more branches, the larger surface 
there will be from which flowers may be expected. 

To train a plant of this character, it must be brought under 
control at an early age, and carefully guided from its infancy. 
Take a good, strong, healthy slip with three or four leaves attached 



FLORAL TALKS. 29 

to it, and insert it in moist sand to root, first removing the head 
or top to form a cutting. When roots have started, remove to a 
two-inch pot, and buds will soon form young branches at the 
junction of each leaf, which after five inches should be stopped 
by pinching off the roots. Other shoots will then start from the 
branches already grown, and when these have made a good 
growth, they can in turn be pinched back. This will doubtless 
end the first season's growth, and the plant should be allowed to 
rest, simply giving it enough water to keep the soil from getting 
dust dry. The next season before starting it into growth, prune 
with patience, and they will be brought into exquisite form. 

This should be done by degrees, depressing each a little every 
four or five days, and fastened with strips of long cloth, until 
they are brought into the right shape. Care should be taken not 
to bend the branches suddenly as they may break. 

Repeat the operations already set forth, and especially the 
pinching process, and shifting to larger pots as the roots fill them, 
and with the proper management, if the plant is of a free grow- 
ing variety, it can be grown to the size of four or five feet in di- 
ameter, with an annual production of several hundred trusses of 
flowers. 

How different in contrast is such a plant with one allowed to 
grow 'to one or two stems, having a crooked side shoot. This is 
not an ideal sketch, for it has been produced in reality, and with 
better results than that portrayed above. Let our flower lov- 
ers try and be convinced. It will cost nothing. 

Seasonable Hints. 

Those who adorn and beautify their windows with plants 
during the long dreary months of Winter are surely decorators of 
taste and leaders in refinement. The culture of such is very sim- 
ple, but we must not expect to grow plants to perfection unless 
some care is exercised in looking after their wants. The dust 
should not be allowed to accumulate on their foliage, because it 
stops up their breathing apparatus and gives the leaves a parched 
looking appearance. Spray or sprinkle the foliage frequently. 
This should be done at least once a day, and twice would be bet- 
ter. While the plants are confined to the ordinary living room, 
once in two weeks; or, better still, every week, sponge the leaves; 
or, in other words, wash their faces. This refreshes and raises a 
soft atmosphere, as does a Summer shower to vegetation. Water 
■■mould be applied to the roots judiciously at this time of the year, 
uecause the sun has not so much power to evaporate the moisture 
Irom the soil as it had during the hot Summer months. The sur- 
face of the soil should get dry, but the plants ought never become 
so dry for want of water as to flag before applying it, and then 
enough should be given to thoroughly soak the ball of earth; dis 
criminate as to which require more than others. 

Few plants like a dry atmosphere, and a vessel containing 



30 FLORAL TALKS- 

water, or even wet sponges, placed in the window near the plants, 
will continually furnish some moisture to the air, which is very 
beneficial. Do not water or sponge plants while the sun is shin- 
ing on them, but let it be done in the evening or early morning; 
the evening I think preferable because the water has from twelve 
to fourteen hours to soak thoroughly through the soil before the 
sun commences its evaporation. Give an occasional application 
of liquid manure to Winter blooming plants, it will increase both 
quality and quantity of flowers, and, above all things, secure 
perfect drainage. More plants suffer for lack of good drainage 
than anything else. 

On pleasant days admit plenty of fresh air, but not so as to 
cause a draft to blow directly on the plants. Keep the room in 
which you have plants as near an even temperature as possible; 
from 45 to 60 degrees at night is the safest general temperature — 
at the former there will be a handsomer plant growth but not so 
fine as if cooler, and by the latter more flowers. Keep down the 
aphis and red spider, the former by frequent application of to- 
bacco water, and the latter by clear water. 

Hanging- Baskets. 

Few things are moae graceful and attractive than a hanging 
basket with proper plants that have been kept healthy and in a 
growing condition; but a basket in which plants have become 
diseased and starved is about as sorry a sight as one will be apt 
to meet with ; therefore, before entering into this subject very far, 
I wish to say to those who are not willing to go to the trouble of 
providing sufficient water and the attention necessary to secure 
perfect success, you better not attempt to keep plants'in a hang- 
ing basket. The principal trouble and cause of failure with 
basket plants is due to the fact that they are apt to be neglected 
and suffer for want of water. It must be borne in mind that a 
basket is much more exposed to the upper and more drying at- 
mosphere, and consequently evaporation takes place more rapidly 
than with an ordinary flower pot, and so requires a supply of 
water much oftener; but because of its not being as easily got at as 
plants in pots on the stand or bracket, it is too often given a mere 
"dash " of water without being removed. This kind of preten- 
tious watering will not do, and in a short time ruins the effect of 
the plants, for the leaves begin to turn yellow and fall off. 

To grow plants well in baskets requires a daily watering, 
and that thoroughly; a little given now and then without taking 
the basket down will not "fill the bill," and the plants must suf- 
fer. I find the best and most thorough way is to set the basket 
in a dish or pail containing water and leave it there until the soil 
is thoroughly wet, then it can be allowed to drain in the sink or 
any other receptacle, before hanging it up again. 

A good wire basket is, to my mind, preferable to any that I 
have ever used, or seen my friends use, and this I line with nice 



FLORAL TALKS. 31 

layers of green moss from the woods, filling in with good rich 
soil that keeps it in place. It is an easy matter to take such a 
basket down and set it in a dish of water once or twice a week as 
occasion requires. This will give ample supply of water to the 
roots, as both moss and soil soak up all they can hold; and the 
moss will to some degree give off a continual moisture to the 
benefit of the plants. 

As the number of plants in the basket is usually large for 
the quantity of soil it should be rich. What is wanted is a rapid 
luxuriant growth, and a good soil for the purpose may be made 
of about one part sand, two parts well-rotted manure and two 
parts turfy matter. There are quite a number of plants that can 
be selected for a basket, among which the Oxalis is perhaps the 
best. Its peculiar nature and graceful habit renders it especially 
adapted for this purpose. It varies some in habit, the leaves 
and flowers of the rose and yellow varieties droop more than the 
white, which holds itself erect, yet it is quite as beautiful and as 
well adapted for basket purposes, and their blooming qualities 
are about equally profuse in all Winter flowering varieties. 

The best time to start this plant for window culture is in 
August or September, and if you begin with but one or two 
bulbs of a kind, they will soon multiply themselves many times. 
. Oxallis, like other plants, need a rest after they have done 
blooming, and this period will be indicated, toward the Spring, 
by their leaves turning yellow ; they should then be dried off gradu- 
ally in the basket and set in a cool dry place until Fall, when 
they may be reset and started into growth again, and the owner 
will soon be reward Id by an abundance of flowers for they are very 
free bloomers. The Ivy Leaved gerauium is another fine plant 
and the richness and elegance of its foliage, and the drooping 
or trailing habit are qualifications it possesses, rendering it emi- 
nently serviceable for basket use. There-are now so many varie- 
ties that one can indulge his or her taste in selection. Some 
varieties have leaves of green margined with white, others bronze 
or yellow, and still others are dark green, with a yet darker line 
about midway between the centre and margin. 1 he color of the 
flowers range through rose, pink, scarlet and crimson to white. _ 

Nolana is the name of another excellent plant, that is peculi- 
arly adapted for basket use. It has succulent stems like those of 
the portulaca, and its leaves though somewhat succulent, are broad 
and fleshy and of a light green color. Like the little salamander, 
(as the portulaca is sometimes called) it will bear heat and drouth, 
and delights in a light soil and similar treatment. 

The flowers are shaped sometimes like those of our Morning 
Glory (convolvulus major) only more firm. This plant will fully 
meet the wants of those who have but little time to devote to 
plant culture. 

Tradescantia, commonly known as Wandering Jew, may be 
used to good effect, while Kenilworth Ivy, (Linaria cymbalaria) 



32 FLORAL TALKS. 

Alyssuin, and Petunia work in very nicely. A basket that I had 
last Winter, and which gave perfect satisfaction, contained for 
the centre a flowering Begonia, and outside of this a row of pink 
and white Oxalis, with Eenil worth Ivy for a border that drooped 
gracefully over the edge of the basket, and hung down in airy 
festoons; about each wire that suspended the basket a young ivy 
of the common variety was fast twining itself. While here and 
there a branch of Petunia reached out in such a manner as to 
give the whole a look of naturalness, and when all were in blossom 
they produced a beautiful effect, the colors blending harmonious- 
ly with each other, and with the several shades of green of the 
foliage. It was a miniature flower show, and won the admiration 
of all who saw it and it was a source of comfort and endless 
pleasure to the owner. Any one can have such a basket if they 
will^but give it the necessary attention, which means sufficient 
light, water and air. 

Rootings and Cuttings. 

Most cuttings are readily rooted in moist sand. Where but 
a small quantity are to be promulgated the most convenient way, 
and one which I have used with perfect success, is to take an 
eight inch pot, plug up the hole in the bottom with a cork, and 
then fill about half full with clean sharp sand, such as builders 
use. Place a three inch pot in the centre without corking and 
press it down into the sand, until it is about even with the top of 
the other. Fill the space between the inner and outer pots with 
sand within an inch or so of the top, and it is ready to receive 
your cuttings, which should, of course, be inserted in the sand. 
Keep the smaller pot nearly filled with water, and place in a 
warm sunny position. If the bell glass is put over it the cuttings 
will root much sooner. As soon as the roots have formed, which 
will be indicated by new leaves or shoots, the young plants 
should be removed with care and potted. 

Drainage. 

Much has been said and written on this subject, and yet there 
are many people who do not see the necessity of drainage, and can- 
not understand why careful gardeners put all those crocks in the 
bottom of a pot. They imagine that by simply placing a plant 
in the pot, with an abundance of water and a high temperature, all 
the requirements of Nature have been complied with ; but, alas, 
the very means which are taken to secure their object lead only 
to disappointment. In growing a plant in a pot, we should re- 
member that it is very differently situated than one planted in the 
garden. A potted plant can only have what is put in the pot, or 
what may be administered to it, and it has to accept the whole of 
what we put there. This is not so with the plant in the garden, 
for its roots can wander about in the soil, picking and choosing 
what it will take up, and what it will reject. Therefore, if a 



FLORAL TALKS. 33 

potted plant is provided with good drainage, it will have a source 
for discarding at least a portion of whatever is administered that 
the plant may not like. 

Drainage is of the highest importance, and absolutely neces- 
sary for all plants. Without perfect drainage the overplus water 
cannot run off through the hole in the bottom of the pot as it 
ought to and if it remains about the roots it will soon cause the 
soil to become soured, the roots decay and the plants perish. The 
results of experiments have taught the careful man that plants 
will do no good if the soil in which they grow is kept too wet, 
and it is for this reason that prudent farmers and gardeners go to 
the expense of putting in drains through the land. 

I would advise the principle of "an ounce of prevention is 
worth a pound of cure," and therefore take particular pains to see 
that potted plants have perfect drainage, because if a plant be- 
comes sickly or diseased from imperfect drainage you will find it 
a difficult task to restore it to a healthy growing condition again, 
and often the plant will die from loss of vitality before the bene- 
fit of a change can reach its vital parts. If you err on the ques- 
tion of drainage, let it be too much rather than too little. My 
plan of providing drainage has given me perfect satisfaction, and 
I adhere to it strictly. I commence by placing a layer of small 
pebbles or broken crockery in the bottom of the pot, and over 
this put a little moss to prevent the. soil from being washed down 
between the pebbles and stopping up the cracks. If at hand, 1 
put a little fine gravel just beneath the layer of moss. 

The Chinese Hibiscus 

Is one of the most beautiful, showy plants among my collection. 
It is a woody plant, and quite a free bloomer. However, did it 
possess no merit as a bloomer, the bright glossy green foliage 
would entitle it to a place in every collection of ornamental plants. 
The flowers, which are very large, and of a rich red or crimson 
color, are produced on new growth during a greater portion of 
the Summer, and if the plant is grown in a warm, sunny and 
light situation during the Winter, it will bloom quite freely. It 
is of the easiest culture, requiring about equal parts of leafy 
mold and loam, to which add a little sand and manure. 

The Hibiscus is also a desirable plant for bedding, as it suc- 
ceeds admirably well bedded out during the hot dry Summer 
months. It is preferable, however, to use two or three old plants 
for this purpose, which should be well pruned and kept as dwarf 
as possible. In the Fall, when it is time to remove plants to the 
house or conservatory, care should be taken in lifting so as not to 
injure many of its roots. 

For very large specimen plants, subject for decoration on the 
lawn, I think the best plan is to take an ordinary nail keg, saw 
it in two, and make the lower half into a sort of small tub, by 
fastening a hoop about it near the top, then bore the sides and 



34 FLORAL TALKS. 

bottom full of large auger holes. Set the plant in this tub, as you 
would place a small one in a pot, and plunge in the lawn to the 
rim. When the tub becomes filled with roots, the little rootlets 
will find their way through the auger holes in search of more 
room, and when it becomes necessary to remove the plant to 
Winter quarters, it will not be as difficult to lift as if planted out 
in the open ground, because the main roots will not be disturbed. 
Of course the roots that have formed outside through the auger 
holes may be cut off, but the shock to the plant will be veiy little 
as compared with breaking a main root. 

The plant should not be allowed to become pot bound, and 
if its gets too large for the pot in which it is growing, turn it out 
and carefully reduce the ball one-third, cut the branches back 
well, and repot in the same size pot, with fresh soil, and water 
carefully until well established again. It is best to repot in the 
Spring, about the middle of May. 

The Hibiscus is readily propagated from cuttings inserted in 
sand, and, by repotting the young plants as often as required, 
fine specimens can be produced in a few years. 

The aphis or green fly sometimes attacks the Hibiscus, but it 
is easily rid of them by the use of tobacco, either in smoke or in- 
fusion. 

There are quite a number of varieties in the trade, some more 
or less double, and some with various shades of crimson, red, and 
yellow, to almost white, but I doubt if any of them are entitled 
to rank more than as mere descendants of the Chinese Hibiscus. 
Those who would like to order some special variety will find the 
following worthy of culture : H. miniatus semi-plenus, Vermil- 
lion scarlet. This variety is a sort of semi-double, producing 
petal-like bodies on the stamenal tube, and is very showy. H. 
dennisonii, white, shaded with very light rose or pink. H. ful- 
gidus, flowers very large, carmine scarlet, changing to deep crim- 
son at the base of petals. H. sub-violaceous, double, clear car- 
mine, tinted violet. H. cooperii, tricolor, has beautiful variegated 
foliage and crimson flowers. 

Dicentra Spectabilis. 

Its common name is Bleeding Heart, and it is a handsome 
plant, bearing flowers similar to those of the Alleghany vine, only 
they are far prettier. The white and bright rosy pink flowers 
hang gracefully in racemes from the bending branches, like so 
many heart-shaped gems, and present a truly beautiful sight as 
they are seen among the sprays of foliage. This species of Dicen- 
tra (spectabilis) is a hardy perennial, and is supposed to have 
originated in the north of China. It makes a very fine plant in a 
few years, and its own merits and attractiveness should place it 
among every collection of perennials. Its requirements are very 
simple. Keep the soil mellow and clean about the plant, and dur- 
ing Spring work in a little fine manure. In the North, where the 



FLORAL TALKS. 35 

Winters are severe, it is well to protect the roots by a light cover- 
ing of leaves and litter. The roots may be allowed to remain in 
the same place for several years, where they will spread in all 
directions and form a large clump, that will produce a floral dis- 
play unequaled by few of the floral world. 

Any of our readers who have seen this plant from childhood 
may think the above somewhat extravagant praise, but the real 
lover of the beautiful who may perchance set eyes upon it for the 
first time will find it difficult to produce their admiration in 
words. 

I have been informed that Dicentra spectabilis will do well 
in the house or conservatory, and become a fine specimen, but I 
have never tried it, and of course cannot recommend it as a house 
plant. However, should any of our readers have occasion to try 
the experiment, or if any have grown it in the house, I would be 
pleased to receive a full account of it, and will publish it for the 
benefit of others. 

Browallia. 

It is an annual and a native of South America, and well 
grown plants will bloom quite freely. If a succession of flowers 
are desired, it is well to sow seeds at intervals during the Summer 
and Fall, so as to bring the plants in bloom at different times of 
two or three weeks apart. The seed is very fine and takes its 
own time in germinating, so do not be discouraged if it is slow in 
coming up, but allow plenty of time, and when the seedlings make 
their appearance, shade them from the very hot sun until well 
started. 

For house culture, it is best to grow them in pots, and if 
three plants are set triangularly they will form a fine mass, and be 
more effective than if grown singly. Strong stocky plants can 
be produced by pinching back the branches as they increase in 
size, thus causing them to put forth side branches, which they will 
do by this means very generously. 

Among the varieties of Browallia we have, B. elata grandiflora, 
entirely blue. B. Cerviakowski, blue with a white centre, and 
there is also a white variety called B. elata alba. 

Ageratum. 

Another fine plant for the Winter months, that bears light 
blue and white flowers, is the Ageratum. The seed should be 
sown at the same time as the Browallia, and the plants require about 
the same treatment. A light, rich soil, composed of equal parts 
of leaf-mould and loam, with a little rotted manure, is a suitable 
compost for them. There is anew variety of Ageratum recently 
introduced, called Swanley Blue, that is dwarf in habit aud has 
flowersof a deep blue. Now that we have entered into thesub- 
ject for the Winter, and have given our correspondents a fair list 
of blue sorts from which to choose, I will go a little farther and 



36 FLORAL TALKS. 

introduce some white flowers of about the same general class, for 
the benefit of our readers who may possibly prefer white in the 
place of blue, or perhaps some would like both. I will first say, 
however, that there are white varieties of both Browallia and 
Ageratum, that are equally as good as the blue, and thrive quite 
as well, but I have two other plants in mind, about which I wish 
to say a word — the Stevia and Eupatorium. These plants are 
similar in their general structure, belong to a large order of the 
floral kingdom, known to botanists as Composite, and bear a 
close relationship to the Ageratum. The flowers of the Stevia 
and Eupatorium are valuable for bouquets ; they are quite small, 
but the umbels are so large and full that they produce a very 
show T y appearance, and a well-grown clump of the variety, Stevia 
compacta, will produce a beautiful sight at the holiday season. 

Of the many species of Eupatorium that grow r in this country, 
E. riporium, and E. elegantissimum, are the most suitable for 
late Fall and Winter culture. Well-grown plants, with proper 
care and a temperature between 55 and 65 degrees, should bloom 
profusely during a greater portion of the Winter months. 

Floral Brevities. 

A little more care than usual should now be given in pro- 
tecting plants from cold snaps, especially in rooms that are not 
supplied with constant heat. On very cold nights it is well to re- 
move the plants away from the window several feet and cover 
them with some light article. Newspapers are good for this pur- 
pose, but the " patent plant bed cloth" that is made by U. S. 
Waterproof Fibre Co., N. Y. City, is better, and it will pay to 
keep a few yards on hand, for it is a very convenient article to have. 

It is just the thing to protect plants in the bed from light 
frost, that often visit us northerners in the Fall, when we are un- 
prepared. 

Cut flowers, if not badly wilted, may be made fresh by cutting 
off the ends of the stalks and putting them in real warm water, 
(stalks and leaves, but not the flowers) for an hour. 

I have often wondered if my floral friends, while working 
among their plants, ever stop to think of the inva'id who is urT- 
able to enjoy the pleasures derived from cultivating a few flow- 
ers. ■ We ought not to forget to give a share of all our flowers to 
the sick and sad ones, for it is by such ministrations that we may 
help and encourage them. 

Spring Preparations. 

About this time, as the almanac says, we get the first intima- 
mation of Spring. The lover of flowers will have plenty of 
work to perform, such as making plans for the arrangement of 
beds as soon as the weather will permit. The advantage of hav- 
ing str©ng young plants in readiness at that time is so great that 
various meausare resorted to in order to accomplish this end, 



FLORAL TALKS. 37 

While it is true there are some seeds, such as Balsams, Pan- 
sies, Marigolds, and Zennias, which may be successfully germi- 
nated by the amateur, yet the majority are somewhat difficult, 
and usually require experience and care. However, I do not 
think the cause of a large number of failures with seeds is due 
so much to want of care, as from lack of knowledge as to the 
best and most successful methods of sowing them, and their del- 
icate constitutions. 

At the season of the year when the seeds are usually sown, 
there is less likely to be a succession of sudden changes in many 
parts of the country — warm showers, followed by a cold spell, und 
perhaps a slight frost, enough to kill many of the tender kinds, 
while cold, drying winds will ruin many more. 

Besides all this, the shortness of our seasons at the North 
makes it desirable to start seeds early in order to have early 
blooming plants. Now, to overcome these natural difficulties, 
the florist, after repeated experiments, has found that a good pro- 
pagating house, supplied with boiler and pipes heated with hot 
water, is the most reliable way of starting seeds. However, this 
is too expensive for the average flower grower, with a small gar- 
den, and where a hot bed cannot be used, the amateur has con- 
trived a plan of propagating them in boxes in the house. This is 
.the simplest plan, and one within the reach of us all, so we will 
give a few hints upon the subject that may prove useful. 

After obtaining a shallow box, the next important requisite 
is to secure a good porous soil that will not bake or get hard. For 
this purpose I have found nothing better than equal proportions 
of sand, loam and leaf mould, and with this fill the box nearly 
to the "top ; then sift enough through a rather fine sieve to fill the 
box nearly to the top, level it with a straight stick, and jar the 
box sufficiently to settle it. This being done we are ready to plant 
the seed, which should be sown in rows, and as a general rule 
about the depth of twice their thickness. Label each row prop- 
erly, cover with sifted earth, and make it level and firm with 
a small, smooth board. 

In applying water care should be taken not to overdo it at 
the beginning, then cover with a moist cloth, or, better still, spha- 
gum moss, such as florists use for packing flowers in, and keep 
the box in a moderately warm place until the young plants 
break through the ground, then remove the covering and put the 
box in a cooler situation and give them plenty of light, or else 
the young seedlings will come up spindling and " leggy." On 
mild days, when the weather will permit, admit all the air possi- 
ble, and sometimes they may be put outdoors for an hour or two 
during the middle of the day. 

At the appearance of the third and fourth leaves it is time to 
transplant them, and if the weather is such that they cannot be 
removed to their permanent beds for several weeks, plant them 
an inch and a-half or two inches apart, in boxes of good rich soil, 



38 FLORAL TALKS. 

so that they have sufficient room to make a good healthy growth 
before their final removal to the garden. Amateurs, if you really 
care for flowers enough to study their habits and needs, with a 
little attention to the suggestions here given, you may succeed 
in starting plants from seeds. 

Sweet Flowering Peas. 

Among our select Summer flowers there are few more desir- 
able than the Sweet Flowering Pea. Every curve in its peculiar 
form is graceful, and presents a charming individuality that wins 
and holds the admiration of all true lovers of the beautiful. 
They give us all colors, from the darkest pink to purest white, and 
include the darkest purple imaginable. The beautiful blossoms 
send out their delicate fragrance, perfuming the air, and invite 
attention by their rare loveliness. 

Looking at the sweet pea from a botanical standpoint, we 
find that the petals are five in number, aud, from their peculiar 
arrangement, have received different names, and are grouped in- 
to pairs with the odd one standing nearly erect back of them. 
This uppermost petal is called the banner, the two lower petals, 
lying in close contact, are called the keel, aud the two horizontal 
petals enclosing them are the wings. All this will be clearly un- 
derstood upon seeing oue of the flowers. The pea is a repre- 
sentative of a very large order of plants known as the pulse fam- 
ily, the scientific name of which is Legaminosae. This long 
word is derived from the Latin lego, to collect, meaning that the 
seeds are collected in a pod called a legumne. 

The sweet pea delights in a cool, moist (but not wet) situa- 
tion, and good rich, mellow soil, which should be well worked as 
soon as the weather will permit. There should be no waiting for 
warm weather or the first of May, for they need considerable 
time to sprout. Use a generous supply of the best seed that can 
be produced from some reliable florist, and sow them about four 
inches deep. In planting the seed, a very good way is to sow 
two rows about twelve inches apart, so when staking time comes 
they may be trained to one row of stakes, set between the two 
rows. Another method is to mark out a circle two feet in diam- 
eter and sow the seed around the edge of the circle, then put a 
barrel hoop just inside the circumference and fasten it down to 
the ground with pegs. Now drive a stake in the centre, leaving 
about four feet of it exposed to view, and from the top of this 
run strings to the hoop for the vines to climb on. When the 
peas have come through the ground, keep the soil well stirred 
and pulverized until the season is well advanced, then mulch 
with some light litter to keep the soil cool, and if the dry weather 
(which we usually get at this season) is too severe, keep the 
ground moist by irrigation. 

Sweet peas, the embodiment of all that is beautiful and fra- 
grant, variously colored and tinted like the Pansy, seems grate- 



FLORAL TALKS. 39 

fully to acknowledge our admiration in a silent but understand- 
ing way, by doing best when their flowers are freely cut. 

A Renovated Garden. 

In the Spring time, after the snow has succumbed to the sun's 
powerful rays and mother earth is again unveiled, it is then that 
we behold many a yard littered with a confused museum, so to 
speak, of smashed boxes, old fruit cans, crippled barrels and a 
variety of unsightly truck that is small enough to be deposited 
there. Of course, much of this degenerated nuisance will doubt- 
less be removed as the Spring advances; but quite often there 
are other objects, which are really quite as unsightly, that are 
overlooked. A short stroll in the country, through the streets of 
small villages and towns, and large cities, will at once convince 
the reader of that fact, aud the following illustration of a place 
I have in mind will, with some slight variation, be applicable to 
many others. 

In front of the premises may be seen an old rickety fence, 
nearly ready to fall down, and several pickets gone, and others 
broken and battered or only half remaining. A corner of the 
yard may contain a shrub (usually a dear old Lilac bush) which 
at one time was no doubt a beautiful sight, and may have 
added some beauty to the place or, to use a more expressive phrase, 
it may have taken off much of the curse with which such places 
are too often abounded. However, this bush seems to have been 
given the same care as that bestowed upon the fence and the re- 
sult is a poor, miserable, half- wild scrub with many decayed and 
broken 'branches. An old archway may often be seen leaning 
against the house as if for support, and over this archway and 
trellis a grapevine is usually allowed to ramble at will, for as a 
general thing, grapevines grown in such places are seldom culti- 
vated, pruned or laid on the ground during the Winter and pro- 
tected with a light covering. If there is any space at the side of 
the house or in front, it is usually filled with a large display or 
overrun with tall weeds and rank grass, each apparently bent 
on crowding the other out and taking full possession. Now, 
anyone with a little taste for gardening can turn such a delapi- 
dated place into a beautiful little paradise with but a small outlay 
of time and money. I have often noticed that a well-kept small 
place with a general use of flowers has a good influence on the 
community, especially in its immediate vicinity, and is often a 
beginning of its general improvement, for apparently some per- 
sons only need an example of what a little care and attention will 
do toward making home attractive to adopt similar improvements 
in their own places, and when this is once begun it is quite likely 
to be continued, for the love of flowers will grow, and enjoyment 
derived from them by the true lover is so full of fascination that 
it seems never to cease. 

It is not proposed to set forth a plan for renovating neglected 



40 FLORAL TALKS. 

places from which no departure can be made because what may- 
suit one person may not at all be satisfactory to another, but it is 
my design to offer hints and suggestions on the improvement of 
the place here outlined by way of assistance to those who under 
similar circumstances would like to improve their homes. In 
place of the old rickety fence, a new one could be constructed, 
or the old one repaired, or in fact, it may be done away with en- 
tirely. However, if a front fence is preferred, I would advise 
training a vine of the Ampelopsis Vetchii (American Ivy) over it, 
as it would give perfect satisfaction. It makes a luxuriant growth, 
and during the Summer is completely covered with a dense mass 
of beautiful, bright glossy green foliage, that turns to crimson 
and scarlet of every hue and shade during Autumn, at which 
time it is grandly beautiful. Our people did not at first appreci- 
ate this vine, and until the past few years not many of them were 
planted, yet no one could pass through the woods and fields, es- 
pecially in the Fall months, without admiring its great beauty. 

The old bush in the corner, if like some I have seen, should 
be removed and another set in its place. The kind of shrub or 
tree used will of course depend upon what is most admired or 
would produce the best effect. Hydrangea, Spirea, Syringa, 
Snowball, Wagelia, Lilac and Honeysuckle, are all desirable 
shrubs, while some of our evergreens, Silver, Birch, Maple and 
Tulip Tree (Lirodendron) are among the desirable trees. The 
latter is a beautiful native that is seldom noticed by our tree plant- 
ers, but why I know not. It is seen in European ground more 
frequently. 

As regards the old archway, I think it would improve the 
appearance of the old place if it were removed entirely, and a 
vine or climbing rose set close enough to the house to allow of its 
being trained thereto. For this purpose I know of nothing bet- 
ter than a choice from this list: Clematis jackmanii, Wisteria 
(apois tuberoes), hardy climbing roses ; Baltimore Belle, nearly 
white, pale blush; Queen of the Prairies, rosy red; Boursault, 
dark crimson, and sometimes Honeysuckles may be used to good 
advantage. Two of the finest varieties are Hall's Halleana, leaves 
clean and handsome, flowers white and fragrant, and Belgian, or 
monthly fragrant, red and pale yellow, very fragrant and free 
flowering. If there is a porch in front or at the side of the house 
it may be filled with climbing roses, or where a dense shade is 
desired, use Ampelopsis Veitchii. 

It is nice to have a garden well filled with vegetables, so that 
they may be gathered fresh for home use; but it is unnecessary 
to expose this part of the garden to street view, as seen in many 
places, when a row of grape-vines, planted across the yard about 
fifteen or twenty feet from the fence and parallel to it will, in a 
year or two, make a fine arbor; and, with a little attention, bear 
an abundance of fruit, and at the same time obstruct a street 
view of the back yard. Just back of the grape arbor would be a 



FLORAL TALKS. 41 

good place for raspberries, gooseberries, currant bushes, or a 
small bed of strawberries, depending upon the amount of ground 
at hand and taste of the owner. In place of the tall weeds and 
rank grass a good lawn should be prepared, and the grass kept 
short by frequent cutting. It will add materially to the appear- 
ance of the place. Neatness is one of the charms of the yard, 
and the cultivation of the garden, the ornamental planting of 
grounds, and the free uses of flowers are marks of progress, and 
a proof of refinement as well as the highest state of cultivation. 

If my young readers were encouraged and could be persuad- 
ed to take an interest in the renovation of the garden and culti- 
vation of flowers, I feel sure that it would be a step toward pro- 
ducing an excellent moral effect upon their young ideas, while at 
the same time it would be a help to their parents. 

In conclusion, I will offer a few suggestions in regard to the 
flower garden and then leave the reader to decide which of the 
places, here described or outlined, is worthy of the name home. 

About the various styles and methods of arranging beds and 
flowers, I will say nothing, because tastes differ, and it is best to 
let each one suit him or herself in this respect. However, I 
would advise planting each kind by itself. You will find it the 
most satisfactory plan. A bed containing a half dozen kinds 
mixed is never so attractive as one in which there is but one 
kind. 

About the centre of the grass plot in front of the arbor is a 
good place for a geranium or foliage bed, while clumps of roses, 
paeonies, lilies, etc., may be grown here and there on the lawn 
with good effect. 

I earnestly hope that any lover of the beautiful, who may 
have neglected his or her garden, will find some hints or sug- 
gestions in the preceding lines which will be of assistance, and 
that you will set to work and take hold of your gardens in earn- 
est and show your neighbors what you can do. If you should 
meet with failures do not give up, but try again. 

Seasonable Hints. 

All work this mouth should be pushed forward, and vacant 
beds should be in order to receive plants intended for them, and 
if the ground is in good condition and the weather is mild and 
settled, about the 18th or 20th, no time should he lost in bedding 
your plants out. Take particular care now to keep your window 
plants well supplied with water, because the sun is becoming 
powerful and evaporates the moisture more rapidly. Calla lilies 
that have completed their flowering season should be allowed to 
rest, and may be turned on their side in a cool, shady place until 
Fall; but they ought to be looked at occasionally to see that the 
soil does not become dust dry. Seeds of annuals may be sown in 
the open ground about the 20th, if the weather is settled. Now 
is the time to take cuttings for next Winter's flowering. 



42 FLORAL TALKS. 



Tree Planting. 



This is a subject that grows in interest, and demands more 
attention every year, for the reckless manner in which trees have 
been slaughtered during the past few years, would lead to assume 
that they were man's enemies. I will admit that they were an 
obstruction to the progress of our early settlers of this country; 
but their reckless de&truction of late years is carrying the matter 
to the other extreme, and our people are just begiuning to realize 
the fact. It has been scientifically demonstrated that the changes 
of climate, increase in violent storms, land slides and inunda- 
tions, causing 1 destruction and death all about us, are due, more 
or less, to deforesting hill and mountain sides, and unless this 
progress is arrested there will soon be nothing but " bald knobs," 
down which the falling rain may rush in torrents, carrying with 
it all the fertilizing elements from the soil into rivers, lakes and 
oceans. 

In some parts of Switzerland there is a law forbiddiug the 
destruction of a tree, without planting another to take its place. 
This is the outgrowth of necessity, for the trees have gradually 
disappeared and not many now remain, excepting on the high 
slopes of mountains, and those are of inferior size and quality. 
That trees are now being planted I will admit, but yet — to every 
newly planted tree — thousands are being cut down every year, to 
say nothing of the acres that are scorched and blackened by fires, 
and a fact beyond my comprehension is that for miles along 
some of our railroads, one can see nothing but trees and shrub- 
bery on either side, while many hillsides at a distance present a 
nude appearance. If land is desired for cultivation or wood for 
fuel let it be along the railroads; but let the mountain and hill- 
sides, rocky places and rivers, remain covered with trees where 
feathered tribes may make their homes and chirp sweet notes of 
praise, and where beneath their shade nature's beauties bloom in 
the most cheerful effects. 

It is unquestionable that more tree planting is desirable in 
nearly all parts of the country; it certainly is in the Middle States, 
and Arbor Day is an outgrowth of this popular conviction. The 
design of an Arbor Day is a good one, and the rapidity with 
which its observance from a feeble beginning has developed, is 
the most direct and formal expression of the public toward the 
subject of forestry. To avoid the possibility of misunderstand- 
ing, I would say, however, that it is not designed to be a day for 
the actual work of setting out trees. It would not be advisable 
for the people in all parts of a State to unite on the same day for 
that purpose, because the season of transplanting trees in the 
southern part would very likely be too early in the northern part, 
and vice versa. Now to overcome this as well as other objec- 
tions it is intended to hold Arbor Day as a day of celebration, 
when the people in each community, both young and old, may 



FLORAL TALKS. 43 

assemble and discuss the importance of American forestry, the 
manner of acquainting the young with the laws relating to tree 
growth, their care and value. Reports of the tree planting dur- 
ing the past season maybe read, and individual notes and methods 
for comparison presented to the members of assemblage, as well 
as general plans for future work. These meetings should be en- 
livened by appropriate exercises, accompanied by short speeches, 
songs and music. In other words, it should be such a day of cele- 
bration and enjoyment that all would gladly welcome its return. 

But Arbor Day means still more. It is a reminder that home 
with its enjoyment, beauty and comfort can hardly be considered 
as such without that air of refinement and good taste which trees, 
shrubs and vines impart to it. Nor is this all, for the impression 
that can be made upon the young people will doubtless cause the 
rising generation to become more enthusiastic in tree culture than 
those preceding it. 

The introduction of Arbor Day into many of our public 
schools is worthy of the efforts made to engage the pupils in its 
observance, for the practical outcome may already be seen in the 
improved appearance of the school grounds, from plain, cheerless, 
uninviting school yards to attractive shady parks and groves. In 
the schools of one of our States where Arbor Day exercises were 
observed last year, the students enrolled with hearty co-operation 
and the exercises were opened with music and song. The presi- 
dent of the meeting, who had previously been chosen, then read 
the Governor's Arbor Day proclamation and delivered a short 
speech, after which brief and appropriate addresses were then 
made by. some of the teachers and principals while the students 
cheerfully varied the program with songs, poems, music, recita- 
tions and declamations. Several of the leading men of the com- 
munity, by invitation, also made short and pleasant speeches, 
expressing sympathy with the Arbor Day movement, each speak- 
er treating the subject from his standpoint. The day was ex- 
pressed as a most enjoyable one, and its return will doubtless be 
welcomed with delight and increased enthusiasm. From this 
brief explanation it will readily be seen that what is now needed 
is the entire approval and support of every school and college in 
this country. Let every one be interested in this subject. It may 
perhaps awaken a new thought in some not already interested. 

Unique and Curious Plants. 

The Rose of Jericho is a very curious plant that grows in 
sandy places in the vicinity of the Mediterranean Sea, being a 
native of Arabia and Egypt. In its dry state the branches incurve, 
assuming an oval or almost round appearance, and in this shape 
it is carried for long distances by the wind. By some supersti- 
tious people it is believed that the plant expands its flowers every 
year on the very day and hour that our Saviour was born. The 
Rose of Jericho is known botauically as Anassatica Heirochun- 



44 FLORAL TALKS. 

tica, and is so called because after drying up or assuming a dead 
appearance by placing it in water for a short time the plant will 
resume its original shape. 

The Air Plant, with its long botanical name (Tillandsia Ut- 
riculata) is a native of Florida, and belongs to the pineapple fam- 
ily, which plant it closely resembles when not in fruit ; but un- 
like the pineapple it requires no soil, and in its native haunt may 
be found growing in the tops of lofty trees, where it derives all 
nourishment from air and water. The peculiar manner of growth 
of the air plant enables it to retain nearly a pint of water at a 
time, while at other times it may remain dry for a long period 
without any apparent injury. A full grown plant will measure 
about twelve inches in diameter, and upon attaining full size will 
bloom, and the effort invariably kills the plant, and as soon as 
the seeds have matured it dries up and falls from the tree. 

Fuchsias. 

There probably is no more popular flower under cultivation 
than the fuchsia, or ladies' eardrop, as it is frequently called, un 
less possibly it be the geranium, and although it is not one of the 
oldest flowers of our gardens and windows, still on account of its 
graceful habit and varied, yet delicate coloring, it has become de- 
servedly popular, and when, added to this, we consider the fact that 
it is one of the best plants of the floral kingdom for pots or boxes 
on shaded verandas, or for beds in partially-shaded places in the 
garden, there would seem no reason why this popularity should 
not continue. During the rage for something new a few years 
ago, it was somewhat overlooked, as were others of our old and 
meritorious plants. But sooner or later there will be a change, 
when our old and neglected flowers will become the popular 
plants of the garden again, and then the Fuchsia will rank among 
the best. 

The Fuchsia is of American origin, having been first discov- 
ered in Chili, South America, where it grew in moist shady 
places. Species have since been discovered in different parts of 
the world; Mexico claiming one and Australia another. The 
generic name, Fuchsia, was given in honor of Leonard Fuchs, a 
noted German botanist who, it is understood, was the original 
discoverer. Some of the varieties, now under cultivation, would 
scarcely be recognized as members of the same family at all, by 
those who are only familiar with the ordinary garden sorts, and 
though these original types are more interesting from a botanical 
than a floricultural standpoint, still they are occasionally grown, 
and make quite beautiful specimens. F. Fulgens, a South 
American species, has a tuberous root like a dahlia, only much 
smaller of course; the leaves are quite similar to those of the 
more commonly grown garden varieties, while the long tube-like 
brilliant flowers droop in clusters from the ends of the branches, 
and altogether make quite an attractive plant. F. Coccinea is 



FLORAL TALKS. 45 

another tuberous variety, but seldom seen among general collec- 
tions or advertised by florists; but F. Procubens, a native of 
New Zealand, has become quite popular as a basket plant, and 
being of a trailing or drooping habit, does very well for that pur- 
pose. The peculiar shaped flowers of a bright } r ellow, brown and 
green color, beautifully blended together, are followed by berries 
that become bright red when ripe. These comprise the peculiar 
ities of some of the original types, which were brought under cul- 
tivation, propagated and crossed to produce hybrid varieties, and 
so changed that now we behold them arranged in a garb of the 
most charming beauty. 

Some persons seem to be impressed with the idea, that Fuch- 
sias are Winter bloomers, and do not make much of an effort to 
produce flowers during the Summer, hoping in so doing to be re- 
warded by a few flowers during the Winter months. Those who 
follow such an idea, however, do not realize what beauty and 
pleasure the Fuchsia is capable of producing under the most 
favorable conditions, for it is properly a Summer bloomer and 
blossoms freely at that season with about as little care as any 
plant. When the requirements of this lovely plant are are once 
understood, the cultivation is quite simple. It delights in a rich 
porous soil, good drainage, judicious watering and plenty of light, 
but not strong sunshine. 

Young plants, if started early and properly cared for, may 
be brought into flower the first season, but I do not consider them 
as satisfactory as well developed two or three year old plants hav- 
ing good strong roots and branches. If, however, it is desired to 
begin with young plants, cuttings may be readily propagated in 
moist sand ; an operation that will prove most interesting and 
instructive, as it affords a good opportunity for observing growth 
and development. A simple, yet inexpensive, propagating case 
may be formed by the use of a small box half filled with sharp 
sand. Plunge a small flower pot in the center to receive the 
water supply, cover the whole with a light of glass and place the 
box in a sunny position. As the moisture evaporates, fill up the 
pot with water and it will soak into the sand through the hole in 
the bottom without disturbing the cuttings. Roots will usually 
form in the course of two or three weeks according to conditions, 
and the young plants should then be carefully potted in a fairly 
rich soil, composed of leaf-mould. Nothing seems to suit them 
quite as well as earth from about the roots of trees and old stumps 
in the woods and pastures, where leaves have drifted and decay- 
ed, and for young plants leaf mould will be quite rich enough 
without the use of fertilizer, but for large plants of two or three 
years' growth, well rotted manure may be added in small quan- 
tities as the condition of soil requires it. Be sure to provide good 
drainage, or you will have no end of trouble and disappointment 
with a sour soggy soil. Water only when the soil appears to need it ; 
then apply a sufficient quantity to moisten the earth all through, 



46 FLORAL TALKS. 

The Fuchsia is a desirable plant for a window or veranda 
box in places not exposed to the strong sunshine of mid-day, but 
if it is preferred tol^eep them in pots, they may be plunged in 
boxes of soil during the heat of Summer as a means of keeping 
the roots cool and lessening the evaporation of moisture that so 
rapidly takes place when the pots are exposed to drying winds 
and a warm atmosphere. 

It is imp u-tant that the plan's be shifted as often as the soil 
in the pots become filled with roots, in order that they may not 
get root-bound. Should the ball of earth be matted with roots, 
beat around it gently to loosen the crust to allow new roots to 
start out. 

Nearly all plants are more or less troubled with insects of 
some sort, and the most destructive enemies of the Fuchsia are 
the red spider aphis. The red spider is very small, and upon 
close examination appears like grains of cayenne pepper. When- 
ever the leaves of your plant seem troubled, carefully inspect the 
under side of them, for that is where the spiders generally do the 
most harm. A hot, dry atmosphere is their delight, while mois- 
ture is sure death, and clear water forcibly applied to the leaves, 
especially the under side, will rid them. Aphides, or green lice, 
are larger and more readily observed, but do not infest the Fuch- 
sia as frequently as many other plants, yet when the conditions 
suit, they may be found there. Sulpho tobacco soap will exter- 
minate them if persistently used. It can be had of most florists 
and seed establishments. 

The varieties in Fuchias have increased very rapidly during 
the past few years, and nearly all have more or less good quali- 
ties, but the list here given comprise only such as seem to possess 
the most merit. The varity Speciosa, is, all things considered, 
the most satisfactory of any. It is is almost constantly in bloom, 
and may be counted as the only true Winter bloomer of real 
merit. Of course, there are others that may be brought into flower 
during the Winter, if allowed to partially rest during the Sum 
mer, but they are not as floriferous as Speciosa. However, of 
the most desirable for this purpose, I would select Mrs. Marshall, 
having white sepals and carmine corolla; Carl Halt, crimson cor- 
olla striped with white; Pearl of England, sepals white, corolla 
rosy-scarlet; Arabella, tube and sepals waxy white, corolla rose; 
Rose of Castle is a fine old variety, having bluish-white tube and 
sepals, and a purple corolla, and Storm King, a very free bloomer, 
with a pure white corolla. 

Among the most desirable sorts for Summer flowering, Black 
Priuce takes the lead as the most floriferous variety. It makes a 
strong and upright growth, branching freely, and producing 
its flowers in great profusion. A well grown plant three feet 
high, in full bloom, is a minature flower show all by itself, and 
will last for several weeks. Tube and sepals bright carmine; 
sepals broad with green tips; large open rose-colored corolla. 



FLORAL TALKS. 47 

Elm City is a grand old variety with a double purple corolla, and 
deserves a place in every collection. Madame Van der Strass is 
considered the finest double white yet produced. It is quite as 
floriferous as its rival, the Storm King, and is much superior to 
that variety in habit of growth. Mrs. E. G. Hill is a vigorous 
upright grower of considerable merit, with very large, double 
flowers of a crimson and white color. If you want a very large 
Fuchsia get the Phenomenal, which is unquestionably the largest 
variety grown, and notwithstanding its immense size, the flowers 
are beautiful and very double. Convent Garden will produce a 
graceful effect if allowed to droop naturally from a central sup 
port, instead of being fastened to a stiff awkward-looking trellis 
as generally seen. 

Callas. 

The Callais a native of a warm country where it grows ram- 
pantly in low murky ground, and if the most satisfactory results 
in cultivating it are to be obtained, we should strive to make the 
conditions as near like those under which it thrives in its native 
habitation. 

In our Northern States the Calla is almost universally culti- 
vated as a Winter blooming plant, and should therefore remain 
practically dormant during the Summer months. After bloom- 
ing, the plants may be kept growing until Spring, though not as 
vigorous as before, then gradually withhold water so that the 
bulbs can mature their growth, until only enough is given to pre- 
vent the soil from becoming dust dry. When the weather is warm 
enough to allow removing the plants out of doors without injury, 
place them in a shady nook, with the pots partially on one side, 
resting the upper edge on a notched block of wood. In this po- 
sition they will receive only a portion of the rain that falls, and 
this will generally keep the soil moist enough without watering, 
unless there should come an unusually dry spell, in which case, 
a light sprinkling will suffice. About the 1st of July it is a good 
plan to turn the plants out of their pots and set them in the gar- 
den border where they will be somewhat shaded from the direct 
sunshine of midday, as the sun is usually very powerful and 
burning at. this season. Here they may remain until it is time to 
repot them again in August ; the idea being to keep the plants in 
as nearly a dormant condition during the Summer, as is consist- 
ent with health, and thereby afford an opportunity to store up 
strength for Winter forcing and blooming; 

Toward the latter part of August or early in September is 
the time to repot callas, if wanted for mid- Winter flowering. 
Provide good drainage and fairly rich soil, composed of black 
muck from a swampy, if it can be obtained, working it in thor- 
oughly. Carefully lift the bulbs from the garden, and remove 
all the soil before potting, after which thoroughly water, and 
place the pots in the shade until the bulbs are established. As the 



48 FLORAL TALKS. 

evenings begin to grow cold, it is a good plan to bring the plants 
to the veranda, or other convenient spot, for shelter, so long as 
there is no probability of frost. When it is necessary to house 
the plants, remove them to the coolest room, admit fresh air dai- 
ly, as long as the weather will permit, and they will become ac- 
customed to the change so gradually, that it will apparently have 
no effect upon them. Of course, the pots should set in a deep 
dish or pan, as the plants require a large amount of water, and es- 
pecially so when growing. Let the water be quite warm, pouring 
it slowly on the surface soil so as not to injure the roots, and when 
flower buds are expected, (which will be indicated by a swelling 
of the main stalk), do/not change the plant from one room to an- 
other for the sake of having them in a conspicuous place, as a 
difference in temperature is likely to destroy the bud or flower. 
If a bud seems to develop slowly, I find that a little F. F. F. F. 
aqua ammonia applied in the proportion of a tablespoonful to a 
pint of water is of much benefit; using the same about once a 
week. Sometimes calla blossoms are inclined to take upon them- 
selves what may be termed " freaks of nature," by coming out in 
a garb of green. This green spethe is a partial reversion to the 
original leaf form, or bract. A bract is generally green and in 
the form of a leaf attached to the base of a blossom from which 
the flower arises, but in some cases they assume peculiar forms 
and colors like flowers. Such is the case with the Calla; its large 
white envelope or spethe, commonly spoken of as the flower, may 
in a descriptive sense, be considered as the bract changing to a 
flower-like form. The real flowers of the Calla are situated upon 
the oblong central column called the spadix, covering its surface 
entirely. 

Pinks and Carnations. 

The Pink is the familiar representative of a natural order of 
herbaceous plants, botanically termed caryophyllaceae, but per- 
haps better known as the pink family. In its wild state, the 
Pink is found growing on the south side of the Swiss Alps at a 
low latitude, where the Winters are not severe, and although a 
great favorite in grandmother's garden, it was but little known 
prior to 1772, when a gardener to the Duchess of Lancaster, 
named James Major, was fortunate enough to have a seedling 
plant produce a double flower with laced petals. Mr. Major, 
grasping the opportunity, succeeded in propagating a stock of 
this new variety, offering it for sale to the public with marked 
success, and from that period the Pink made a rapid advance- 
ment, until now we find it large and full, with exquisite forms, 
handsome colors and varigations, and with lacings as perfect as 
can well be conceived. There are two classes into which we may 
properly divide this plant, but the varieties seem almost unlimited. 
The ordinary garden Pink, containing the perennial class, dian- 
thus plumarius, and the biennial, or old and well-known Chinese 



FLORAL TALKS 49 

sort, D. Chinensis, of which many new and superb Varieties have 
been introduced during the past few years. D. Caryophyllus, 
the well known and much esteemed Clove Pink, is the parent of 
a double-flowered class called Carnations and Picotees, which are 
well adapted to pot culture in the window and conservatory. As 
a matter of fact, the Carnation is one of the sweetest flowers we 
possess, and its neatness, beauty and fragrance, together with the 
great variety of colors, markings and free blooming qualities, 
form an array of good points that have caused it to become a 
leading favorite with many of our flower lovers. There is a very 
nice arbitrarial distinction of colors, made by florists, between the 
Carnation and Picotee, which, to the average amateur may not be 
very clear, but a short description here of each, will, I hope, ren- 
der the matter easily understood so that they may be clearly de- 
fined The petals of a good Carnation must be firm, smooth at 
the edges and have broad stripes of color running through from 
the center to the edges of petals. Florists' varieties are divided 
into six classes, known as rose flakes, with bars of rosy shades on 
white ground; scarlet flakes, with purple bars, selfs or cloves, in 
which one or more colors are distributed evenly all over the flow- 
er; bizarres, with scarlet, purple and white bars, and any three 
or more colors traversing the same way, varying from light to dark, 
and fancies, which include flakes and bizarres of unusual colors or 
neutral tints. The petals of a Picotee also have smooth edges like 
the Carnation, and virtually differ only in the arrangement of 
color or markings. Picotees have a solid ground of light or white 
color; sometimes yellow, and are usually ornamented with a nar- 
row band evenly penciled more or less heavily around the edge 
of each petal. They are always chaste and beautiful, and being 
alike in habit and hardiness as Carnations, require similar treat- 
ment in raising them. 

Pinks are considered perfectly hardy by florists in general, and 
so they are, but nevertheless I find that it pays to protect them 
lightly in latitudes where the Winters are severe. They are of 
compact growth, with narrow foliage resembling grass to some 
extent, and are easily grown in any gocd garden soil. They may 
be propagated by a division of the root, pulling off single tufts with 
short " heels " from the main stem and planting them closely to- 
gether in a shady position. This should be done just after flower- 
ing, and when well rooted, the young plants may be transplanted 
in a permanent bed. If giown from seed for early blooming, it 
should be sown as early as April under glass, in good, mellow 
soil, and treated as other seedlings. 

The Carnation may be propagated by layering, or from cut- 
tings in moist sand, and should be started .between March and 
May, if wanted for Winter flowering. As soon as the weather 
becomes settled and the ground can be worked, bed out the 
young plants for the Summer in a light place, where they can 
have plenty of air and! sunshine; making the soil light and fairly 



50 FLORAL TALKS. 

rich, to a good depth. About mid-Summer they will be inclined 
to blossom, when the flowering stalks should be cut back, and 
the process repeated as often as the buds appear, up to the time of 
potting in the Fall; the idea being to produce a steady, healthy 
growth during the Summer, with numerous strong, compact and 
vigorous branches, when it is time to pot them. The potting 
should be done toward the end of August or early in September 
in the latitude of New York, always supplying a liberal course of 
drainage material. Shade the newly potted plants for a few days 
until they become established. Before potting, it is a good plan 
to run a knife blade in the ground around each plant at a reason- 
able distance from the center to cut the long roots that would 
otherwise be crumpled up in the pot. If the plants are allowed 
to remain thus for a few days before lifting, the cuts will heal 
and new rootlets form, leaving the effect of removing and trans- 
planting barely noticeable. The Carnation is subjected to attacks 
of red spider and aphis, but by frequently syringing or sprinkling 
with clear water for the former, and an occasional application 
of sulpho-tobacco soap for the latter, they maybe kept pretty free 
from these insect pests. The tobacco soap may be had at most 
seed establishments. 

During the past few years some remarkably large flowering 
varieties, with most exquisite colors have been introduced, and 
although it would seem almost useless to even think of further 
improvement in the perfect strain of carnations now grown ; yet 
we can never forecast the time of a new departure in nature, and 
some day there may be quite a revelation in the advancement of 
new types. _ 

Parsies. 

Who does not know the Pansy (whether called by its proper 
name, Viola tricolor Maxima, or by one of the many common 
names so frequently implied), and knowing it, does not admire 
the rich yet modest colors and most beautiful forms. The Pansy 
is an offspring of that simple little annual, heart's-ease, or violet, 
but the wonderful improvement made by care in hybridizing and 
skillful culture has left so little resemblance, that at first sight 
there would seem to be no relation between the two, and only a 
botanist or those acquainted with its history, would believe that 
such a beatiful flower originated with so humble a parent. It is 
true, however; and by the efforts of intelligent cultivators, the 
insignificant little flower, scarcely the size of the single wild 
violet, and with coloring confined to dull shades of purple, yellow 
and white, has grown to be the magnificent Pansy of to-day, com- 
bining such rich variety of colors and shadings not to be found 
in any other plant in our long list of beautiful garden flowers. 
Few objects are really more pleasant to look upon than a good 
bed of Pausies, with their cheerful knowing faces looking sky- 
ward. They are the first to greet us in the Spring, and the last 
to bid adieu in the Fall. 



FLORAL TALKS. 51 

The requirements iu Pansy culture are few, simple and easily 
bestowed. They delight in cool nights and moist days, with a 
fairly rich soil. While it is possible to propagate the plants from 
cuttings, it requires considerable care and attention, and it is not 
a desirable plan, especially in view of the readiness with which 
they may be raised from seed. Plants thus raised have greatest 
amount of vitality, and are better qualified to withstand the effects 
of a trying climate. For the production of good flowers, the 
plants should be young, vigorous and making a rapid growth. 
Hence the first essential requisite to the successful cultivation of 
Pansies is to produce good seed. As Spring and early Autumn 
seems to be the most desirable seasons at Northern latitudes in 
which to have the plants bloom, therefore the seed should be 
sown from the middle of August to the middle of September, in a 
prepared bed of light soil, that is moderately rich and fine. 
Cover the seed lightly, and press the soil over them gently, after- 
wards watering with a fine spray. As soon as the p'ants are large 
enough to handle, transplant into cold frames, or to the bed 
where they are wanted for blooming, having a southerly expos- 
ure, (any ordinary boards may be nailed together, or held in posi- 
tion by stakes driven into the ground, to form a frame), and as 
frosty weather approaches place the sash on, leaving them drawn 
several inches at one end, to admit a free circulation of air; later, 
as the weather becomes severe, it is admissible to give additional 
protection of some sort. The plants thus wintered will be stocky, 
vigorous and well set with buds by Spring, when the covering 
should be removed as the frost leaves the ground. In mild Win- 
ters, blossoms can often be gathered from the beds for the win- 
dow. 

The Pansy being a plant that delights in moisture and good 
living, it is well to water them in dry seasons, and the use of 
liquid manure occasionally will produce a marked improvement 
both in size and quality of flowers, especially is this noticeable 
during the Summer months, when the flowers are usually small. 
Keep the soil well stirred, and all seed pods (if not wanted) re- 
moved, will assist materially in prolonging the flowering period. 
For Autumn blooming plants, seed is usually sown early in June, 
and the young seedlings transplanted in a bed that will be pro- 
tected from the burning sun of midday. 

Amaryllis. 

Not many years ago this beautiful genus of bulbous flowering 
plants was considered "beyond the successful management of the 
ordinary amateur, but experience of a few years, coupled with ex- 
periments in cultivating them, has convinced me of the contrary. 
They are very desirable plants for garden or pot culture, and to 
produce good, results should be grown in a fibrous loam with 
one-fourth leaf -mould and a lair quantity of well-decayed manure. 
In growing them in the garden, plant the bulbs in a sunny bed or 



52 FLORAL TALKS. 

border when all danger of frost is past, with about one-half of 
each bulb above the soil. If convenient, or desirable, they may 
be somewhat advanced in growth before planting out time, by 
starting them in pots under glass during March and April. After 
planting, water thoroughly, then wait until growth appears, un- 
less the soil should dry out rapidly, when another watering would 
be necessary and should be judiciously increased as growth ad- 
vances. 

When grown as pot plants for the window or veranda, the re- 
quirements are virtually the same as if planted out, except that 
the pots should contain a good supply of drainage material, and 
in the treatment of the evergreen varieties, which usually retain 
their foliage all the season, and therefore should not entirely dry 
up. After blooming, much of the future usefulness of a bulb 
depends on a strong, healthy growth to mature it before the leaves 
cease activity, and they should have just as much attention at 
this period as when first started, if you would have them do well 
the following season. , From the time growth commences it ad- 
vances steadily until the blooming period is past, then after a few 
weeks the foliage will begin to ripen, indicating a period of rest, 
(a process that is quite essential with all flowering plants), and the 
supply of water should be gradually diminished. While resting 
they will require but little space, and may be kept in any cool, 
dry location. 

Seedlings and off-sets should be kept growing till they are of 
a blooming size, or at least till they are quite large, and then re- 
ceive the same treatment as others of the same variety. 

There are many fine standard kinds of both Spring and Fall- 
blooming varieties, of which a good selection is here given. I 
would first add, however, that when desired for Fall or early 
Winter blooming in the window, the bulbs should be repotted in 
the Spring and after watering well, turned on one side in a shady 
place for the Summer resting period. Examine occasionally to 
see that the soil does not dry out entirely, and toward Fall en- 
courage a vigorous growth by setting the pot in a warm sunny 
position and supplying water as required. A. Johnsonii is the 
finest variety of the Amaryllis family. It is a stately plant when 
well grown, and usually blooms twice a year, the flowers coining 
soon after the leaves. The leaves are a dark, rich green, linear 
shaped aud quite long. A. Valotta Purpurea is quite similar to 
Johnsonii in habit, and both make fine pot plants, requiring a like 
treatment. After blooming, the water supply should be gradu- 
ally diminished and the bulbs allowed to ripen and rest, but being 
of an evergreen nature, the foliage may attain its full size for 
several weeks. A. Belladonna is a very fine variety and has the 
largest bulb of any. A. Formosissima, (Jacobean Lily as it is 
sometimes called), is a unique variety with velvety, scarlet flowers 
that consist of six petals, three erect and three lower, forming a 
curious shaped blossom. These bulbs are usually planted in the 



FLORAL TALKS. 06 

open ground in the Spring and wintered in a cool dry place, but 
they may also be grown in pots like hyacinths with good success, 
if kept dormant during the Summer. A. Vittate Hybrids, and 
Equestris are among the new varieties of considerable merit, 
while A. Tretea (Fairy Lily) is a native of Florida of recent in- 
troduction. The flowers are very fragrant and pure white. 

Begonias. 

Few plants are more interesting or more admired than the 
beautiful Begonias. Their beauty of foliage, combined with 
graceful flowers, handsome colors and free blooming qualities, 
tend to make them most desirable plants that grace our windows, 
conservatories and gardens. 

Begonias are natives of tropical countries in both the eastern 
and western continent, where they inhabit the mountainous re- 
gions at a considerable elevation. They belong to the natural 
order Begoniacse, and carry their generic name in honor of 
Michel Begon, a naval officer, who first brought them to notice 
about two hundred years ago. Since their introduction, a rapid 
advance has been made in the production of hybrid varieties, 
which combine most valuable qualities of the best sorts. Every 
season brings out new members of this aristocratic family, and 
the improvements which have been made within the past few 
years, are almost wonderful. The greatest variety exists in the 
peculiar forms, sizes and surfaces of the leaves, which, upon most 
kinds, are one-sided, being larger one side of the mid-rib than the 
other. This does not at all detract from their beauty, however, 
for their outlines are so graceful that the diversity is far more 
pleasing than mathematical symmetry. Not only in the leaves 
do these plants present peculiar features, but also in their flowers, 
which are both stamina te and pistillate in each cluster. Their 
position on the outer edges of the branches of some. The semi- 
pendulous habit of others, and the brilliancy, grandeur and 
grace, as well as the style of character, great distinctiveness and 
freshness of all, are characteristic qualities seldom combined in 
the same plant. 

The Begonia, like the geranium, is very seldom attacked by 
insects, but it must be provided with good drainage, or trouble 
from sour soil will follow, causing much disappointment and often 
ruin to the plant. It is not as strong and hardy as the geranium, 
and, of course, should not be expected to grow as sturdily under 
the conditions which that plant frequently has to contend with, 
but it can be easily grown, and will amply repay any one for the 
small amount of attention required. Like the fuchsia, the bego- 
nia does not care for much sunshine, an almost entire shade seems 
to suit it best. The soil should be rich, light and porous, similar 
to that in which fuchsias flourish well, and a liberal amount of 
leaf-mould is just what they seem to want. A moist atmosphere 
is always desirable, and much can be done in this respect by 



64 FLORAL TALKS. 

frequently s}'ringing when the sun does not shine on them, though 
I would exempt most varieties of the Rex class. These succeed 
under glass globes or in ferneries, the air being always moist and 
of a uniform temperature, but pretty good results can be attained 
without glass coverings. The foliage should be kept as free 
from dust as possible by covering with a newspaper before sweep- 
ing, and also by blowing or brushing off the dust that will ac- 
cumulate in spite of all precautions. 

The Begonia family is divided into three distinct classes, of 
which flowering or upright growing varieties comprise a major- 
ity of the entire family. The other classes are divided into Rex, 
or ornamental leaved, gnywn principally for their large and beau- 
tiful foliage, and the Bulbous, or Tuberous Rooted, from the 
fact that they are grown from tubers similar to the Dahlia, 
though, of course, much smaller. Of the flowering varieties one 
need not make a poor choice, as all are very beautiful, and when 
grown as specimen plants it is well nigh impossible to equal 
their beauty. Some sorts, of course, combine more good quali- 
ties than others, and among the best of this class a good selection 
can be made from the following: 

Rubra. — If you can have only one Begonia, let it be the Ru- 
bra. Its large, showy panicles of coral-colored blossoms, stand 
out well above the handsome leaves of rich, dark green with tine 
effect. The strong, stiff cones grow rapidly and often reach six 
feet or more. 

Grandiflora rosea is an appropriate name for a very fine 
plant. It is also a strong grower, and becomes a good-sized bushy 
plant the first season. The waxen, rosy-pink colored flowers are 
borne above the dark green lanceolate leaves, in drooping clus- 
ters, that contrast most charmingly. 

Wiltoniensis grows in a bushy, compact form without much 
attention, and is especially desirable as a Summer plant for bal- 
cony or window box, where it will be somewhat sheltered from 
the strong sunshine. The foliage is of a bright, rich green, 
shaded with darker tints, while the stems and veins of the leaves 
are dark red. Now, combine the beautiful carmine-pink of the 
flow^ers which droop gracefully above the foliage, and you may 
draw a faint idea of the effect. Brannti, like Wiltoniensis, grows 
in a bushy, shrub form. Its deep olive-green leaves increase in 
size and number very rapidly, and the graceful clusters of blos- 
soms are borne on long stems well above the foliage is a very 
striking contrast; it makes a handsome plant for the window or 
veranda. 

Semperflorens gigantia rosea is a very satisfactory Winter 
flowering plant. It is a strong growing variety and blossoms 
freely about Winter. 

Alba Perf ecta, or Rubra Alba as it is sometimes called, makes 
a strong upright growth quite similar to Rubra, the flowers being 
white instead of coral-red. Anotb r type of this variety is found 



FLORAL TALKS. % 55 

in Argyrostigma picta, or Alba picta as some call it, having smooth 
glossy leaves, about the same size and shape, and of a silvery 
green color, spotted white. The flowers are of a lemon -white color. 

Some begonias seem to belong to a separate class, between the 
flowering varieties and Rex, combining many characteristics of 
both. 

Among these are Margarite, Metallica, Argyrostigma picta, 
and Subpeltatum Migricans. 

The Rex class is without doubt the most charming of all foli- 
age plants. They seem to feed on the rich metals of the soil and 
to spread the lustrous tints over their leaves, which thus become 
an illuminated map of the mineral kingdom. They are not adapt- 
ed to window culture, because of a lack of moist temperature, and 
the too frequent changes of temperature, yet they can be grown 
there, and often with good success. Keep the soil somewhat dry, 
for too much water at the roots will cause an unhealthy debili- 
tated appearance. The leaves are generally brittle and their sur- 
faces thickly beset with hairs; making it difficult to remove any 
dust that may accumulate without injuring them, and it is there- 
fore advisable to cover the plants well before sweeping. Species 
is an old, but meritorious variety, of a beautiful metallic lustre, 
with center and edge of a soft velvety green, and a broad silvery 
zone, terminating in the point. Louis Cretienisa fine plant of 
exceedingly beautiful coloring and a very high lustre like change- 
able silk. Marquis de Peralta, Countess Erdody and Lesondsii 
will form a very good collection. 

The Tuberous-rooted section are among the handsomest of 
our Summer flowering bulbs, and although comparatively new 
to many of our flower lovers, its popularity is steadily increasing, 
and bids fair to become a strong rival of the geranium as' a Sum- 
mer bloomer. They are as easily grown as geraniums and have 
many points in their favor. A compact habit^ shapely glistening 
foliage, crowned with an unbroken mass of handsome flowers 
having almost unlimited range of color, make them desirable for 
either pot plants or bedding. The tubers should be repotted in 
March, using a light rich soil and water when they seem to need 
it. If grown in pots during the whole season they will need 
shifting as growth advances. They are just the thing for win- 
dow or veranda boxes in partially shady places, and produce a 
grand display. 

Towards Fall the plants will show signs of needing rest by 
donning a yellow tinge to the foliage. Then reduce the water 
supply gradually until the branches have fallen, and by this time 
the soil will be quite dry, when the pots may be set away in 
some dryplace free from frost, without disturbing the tubers, 
and remain there till Spring again. When the plants are bedded 
out, sometimes it is necessary to put them in pots or boxes, and 
bring them inside for completion of growth, as severe early 
frosts are likely to injure the tubers. 



56 FLORAL TALKS. 

To those not fortunate in choice of Winter quarters for plants, 
the tuberous section of begonias are particularly suitable, as they 
can be carried over Winter, after blooming all Summer, quite as 
well as gladiolus, and the latter part of March, or early in April, 
may be started in pots, first shaking them out of the old soil. 
Use fresh rich soil and water as growth advances. 

Lawns, from Seed. 

A handsome lawn adds greatly to the attractiveness of any 
place and it is much cheaper to obtain it by sowing seed than by 
sodding, and you will also in this way avoid many noxious weeds 
which are in the sod. 

The ground should be graded to the proper slope to secure 
drainage, and if but naturally rich, fertilizers should be added 
before sowing. For this purpose bone dust, crushed bone, or fer- 
tilizers containing bone and potash are the best. Three to five 
hundred pounds per acre is usually sufficient. For small plots ten 
pounds to about four hundred square feet. 

Work the soil by plowing or spading until thoroughly pul- 
verized, being careful to leave the entire surface as near alike as 
possible that the grass may be even in its growth; finish by har- 
rowing or raking until made tine, and finally level by use of heavy 
roller. 

Seeding may best be done in Spring or Fall. With the 
ground prepared as directed, let the surface be gone over with a 
fine rake, and the seeds be evenly scattered, after which carefully 
rake or brush the seed in and follow with the roller. To secure 
the best results use plenty of seed, four bushels per acre being 
about the right quantity. One pound is sufficient for six hundred 
square feet. Let the grass obtain a good start before cutting, say 
a height of three or four inches, as the growth is retarded by too 
early cutting. When well rooted a lawn should be trimmed with 
a lawn mower about once in ten days. In very dry weather a 
thorough wetting should be given about once a week; a little 
water on a dry surface often does more harm than good. 

Old lawns can be improved and renewed by the application 
of fertilizers and seeding about one-half the quantity required for 
new lawns. 

Oleander. 

How old an oleander must be before it will blossom will de- 
pend somewhat upon how well it is treated. Some plants bloom 
before they are a year old, and most of them blossom the second 
season. To grow it well, it should have a rich, light soil, and 
plenty of water should be given when it is growing rapidly. It 
has a mass of fibrous roots, and they like a light soil through 
which they can easily penetrate, therefore a stiff, heavy soil is not 
at all to its liking. If you want a tree of it, let it grow to a height 
where it seems desirable to have the top begin, and then cut it off. 

Branches will be »ut out below, and these should be cut 



FLORAL TALKS. 57 

back when they have made a short growth to force them to branch, 
and so help in making a bushy top. I prefer to grow this plant 
as a shrub, because this keeps it down in the room, while a tree in 
time becomes so large that the top of it comes way up to the top 
of the window, out of good light. You will do well to put your 
plant in the cellar in Fall, giving it only enough water to keep it 
from drying up. In March, you may bring it up and give water, 
light and heat, and in a short time it will begin to grow, and soon 
you will notice buds appearing on the ends of the branches. In 
Summer you may keep it on the veranda. It is never advisable 
to put Oleanders in pots in exposed situations, for they dry out 
and the blossoms are never as large and tine as when in a some- 
what shaded place. When growing or blossoming they must have 
a good deal of water. I would not advise you to turn your plant 
out of its pot into the open ground because the roots will spread 
out so far that when you come to take it up in the Fall you will 
have to cut off a great many and this will seriously injure the plant. 
I have two old plants which I keep for blooming in the open 
ground, but 1 never think of putting them in pots in Fall. I lift 
them and crowd their roots in a large box, which is put into the 
cellar and receives no more attention until April, then it is brought 
up and the plant soon begins to start. As soon as the weather 
becomes somewhat warm, I set the plant in the open ground, 
where it gives a profuse crop of beautiful flowers, and often two 
during the season. Treated thus the Oleander can be made one of 
the ornaments of the Summer garden and with as little trouble as 
it is to lay down a tender plant and cover it. 

Planning the Garden. 

It is Winter— nature is at rest. We saw the last rose drop its 
petals and now we must wait the dawn of a new Spring morn be- 
fore they open again to us their eyes of beauty. While they sleep 
let us think and plan for the coming of Spring. To a person of 
refined taste it is not enough to have a well formed and nicely 
filled flower garden; it must be nicely arranged. Though our 
garden may have been to us a source of great pleasure and enjoy- 
ment, the arrangement may not have been altogether to our stan- 
dard in taste, the colors did not harmonize to suit our fancy, 
plants that should have been in the background shown too con- 
spicuously in front, while there may have been a stiffness in out- 
line that destroyed much of the fine effect intended to be produced. 
It is of the utmost importance in laying out the flower garden 
that the outline of the beds in their relation to each other should 
be good. Then they should be filled with plants that either har- 
monize or contrast in height and color with each other, according 
to the effect intended to be produced. A good plan is to make 
out a list of just such plants as are desired for the different beds, 
with their relation to each other as to height and color, having 
previously drawn on a piece of paper a plat of the garden, shape 



58 FLORAL TALKS. 

of beds, etc. A practical rule is to place the tallest plants and 
the most intense colors in the center of the beds, using the short- 
er and less decided tints for outer circles and edging with very 
low or creeping plants like Lobelias. Beautiful flower beds that 
will always attract attention may be made of intense crimson or 
bright scarlet for the centre, then edge with a broad band of pure 
white and a narrow outer circle of green. White works in well 
anywhere, but in large beds where several colors are used, makes 
a much finer effect when placed between two intensely bright or 
very dark colors. Tall plants like Cannas look well as single 
specimens, or grown in clumps with a double row of scarlet Ger- 
aniums, edged with Dusty-miller for outer circles. In arranging 
flower beds plants should be used that come into bloom at the 
same time, or nearly so, though if the foliage is good this is not 
always essential. 

Gladiolus. 
Gladiolus are easily raised and certain to bloom; it is a won- 
der that they are not more generally cultivated. From year to 
year they are being improved, both the Gandavensis and Lemoi- 
liii Hybrids; some of the old named are (or ought to be) discarded 
and new and better added to the long lists; especially in the 
separate colors as red mixed, white and light mixed, etc., the 
slaughtering of the poorer colors and smaller blooms goes on with 
recklessness, as those that see it will say. 

Raised from seed many will bloom the following season 
while others take their time, even thr» e years before they bloom. 
There will be some that may not satisfy our fancy, such of course 
we discard, while many will be all we may desire; larger and bet- 
ter markings. 

Once in a while w T e get a real surprise. Such I had six years 
ago. It was a flower of extraordinary size and beauty, ground 
color pearly white, striped with rich carmine shaded rosy purple, 
velvety texture, the least affected by heat or drought, very strong 
stiff stem and large spike; bulbs are very large. Although I used 
aH known means to propagate it I succeeded to grow only 100 
large bulbs, which the Iowa Seed Co. purchased and named Roy- 
al Queen. It forms very few bulblets. 

I grow seedlings every year from seed of the best flowers and 
made great improvement in the quality of the flowers, yet such as 
the above mentioned don't grow very thick. 1 have again a few 
that I call "Beautiful Monsters," but it will take several years be- 
fore they will be for sale; there are two double among them like 
a semi-double rose, of pink color, that bloomed the first time; 
next Summer will tell wmether they come true. They had no 
bulblets. It is a pleasure to watch for the seedling's first flower 
to open, that none but tiower-lovers can understand. 

Abutilon Thompson! Pleno. 
The double flowering Abutilon, A. Thompsoni Pleno, is one 



PLOKAL TALKS. 59 

of the most beautiful of the group of plants that are popularly 
known as Flowering Maples. It grows from two to five feet in 
height, and produces beautiful bell-shaped drooping flowers 
continually throughout the year. 

The flowers resemble in shape and form a double Hollyhock, 
and are of an orange color, veined and shaded with crimson, and 
they remain in perfection for a considerable length of time. The 
foliage is also very attractive, being beautifully mottled with green 
and gold. It can be planted in the open ground at any time after 
the middle of May, but if wanted for Winter blooming, should 
betaken up and potted early in September, so that it can become 
well established before cold weather sets in. For the Winter 
give them a light sunny situation and a temperature of from 50 
to 55 degrees, and as soon as the pots become well filled with 
roots give liquid manure once or twice a week. In potting use 
porous or soft baked pots, and let them be proportionate to the 
size of the plants; drain them well, and use a compost of two- 
thirds turfy loam and one-third well-decayed manure. Pinch 
back the leading shoots occasionally to secure nice, compact speci- 
mens, and spray or syringe the plants occasionally, to guard 
against insect pests. Grown as above advised, this Abutilon will 
be found to be one of the most desirable of window plants, and 
one that should be found in every collection. 

Wild Violets. 

In beginning this article, I believe I cannot do better than to 
copy a few lines from the letter of a dear friend, an ardent lover 
Of wild flowers, Mrs. F. E. Briggs of Washington. She writes: 
" There is a violet I would give much to see again, the " wood 
violet" of New England. A friend in the South sent me seed 
that she assured me was of that kind, wmich L carefully nursed, 
but it proved to be an altogether inferior kind, a straggling, weak- 
growing white violet, a mere shadow of my old favorite that 
grows a foot high, firm, yet graceful, flowers as large as pansies 
used to be ; white, tinged with purple ; blooms a long time, has 
a pleasant woodsy smell, though not the true violet fragrance. 
Only one of our native violets is truly fragrant, and it is a tiny 
thing with steins a little over two inches high; white, with brown 
lines. I never found it in but one locality." In reply, I said, 
you refer to the white "wood violet" of New England. From 
your description of it I believe that I once had the same white 
violet. This, to my amazement, grew over two feet high. It 
piled and massed up among the other plants, indeed it seemed al- 
most inclined to climb. The flowers were white, outside of pet- 
als were tinged with light purple ; they had a pleasant, sweetish 
or "woodsy" fragrance. They bloomed continuously from May 
until November. The bed in which they grew contained many 
wildlings. The soil, rich and deep, was from the woods. To my 
extreme regret I lost the violet. It, with the bed, was swept away 



60 FLORAL TALKS. 

in the great flood which devastated the Ohio Valley in February, 
1884. I have never been able to replace it. But I will certainly 
make a search for this charming "wood violet" next summer. 
Indeed, I believe I will make a bed especially for wild violets. I 
am sure I can find four varieties of blue, or rather purple., and 
two of white and two of yellow, of deep golden yellow, veined 
brown, and if I can find a white violet like the one referred to 
above, I think I will have a trellis made for it, and try to coax 
it to climb. Do not my friends, I pray you, do not laugh with 
disdain, and say " who ever heard of a climbing violet." I do 
not know that any one ever heard of one, or ever saw one, but 
you may depend upon it if I can coax a violet to climb up a trel- 
lis, I shall certainly coax. And I will tell you another thing, I 
fancy that that violet would make an elegant basket plant — pret- 
ty and dainty, and sweet and blooming all Summer and Fall. 
I fully believe that if the same care and culture were given 
to our native wild violets that is so lavishly bestowed on pan- 
sies that the result would be equally as satisfactory and as pleas- 
ing. 

A Cheap Greenhouse. 

Several years ago, the cramped position which often became 
necessary in attending to the culture of plants in a cold-frame 
suggested the idea that something might be constructed at a com- 
paratively small expense which would not only relieve the neces- 
sity of much creeping on hands and knees, but might also be 
made serviceable during a large portion of the year as either a 
greenhouse or hothouse. Acting upon this suggestion, the result 
was a structure seven and a-half by ten feet, internally, the sides 
being composed of cedar posts, boarded inside and outside with 
common boards, the space between being filled with sawdust. 
The front was two feet above the ground, while the rear was as 
high as the length of the posts would allow, the sides forming a 
regular slope from the rear to the front. The lower part of the 
roof was composed of ordinary three by six feet hot-bed sash, 
and the upper was made double of common boards, battened on 
top, leaving a space between the upper and lower boards of ten 
inches, which was also filled with sawdust. In one corner, at 
the rear, a wooden chimney four inches square was inserted, and 
about midway between the sides was placed a trap-door for ven- 
tilating purposes. Finally, double doors of rough boards, bat- 
tened, were placed at the rear end of one of the sides. A pit two 
feet deep was next dug on the inside, of such a size as to leave a 
space undisturbed, three and a-half feet on each side, and three 
feet along the rear. On the two sides rough benches three and 
one-half feet wide were constructed ; the one running the entire 
iength of the side, and the other extending from the front to the 
doorway, being partitioned off from the latter to prevent cold 
draughts from the doorway striking the plants. The boards cov- 



FLORAL TALKS. 61 

ering the benches were laid on loosely, so that they might be re- 
moved at pleasure. The purpose of the pit was to afford stand- 
ing and working room, and to form a place wherein to set a coal- 
oil stove. The use of the stove was at first not at all satisfactory, 
the coal-oil odor being unbearably offensive, notwithstanding the 
wicks were not untrimmed by scissors, the loose charred parts 
being removed by means of a soft brush, and every part of the 
stove being kept scrupulously clean. There was incomplete com- 
bustion, and it was due to some defect in the construction of the 
stove (an Adams & Westlake, having two four-inch burners). In 
justice to these manufacturers, it should be stated that this fault 
does not pertain to all their stoves of similar size and pattern. 
But in the end this unpleasant feature proved to be a benefit, for 
it led to a device for the removal of the odor ; so beneficial in 
other ways that its application to either odoriferous or odorless oil 
stoves is desirable. This device consisted of a small sheet-iron 
drum placed upon the stove, and connected near the top with 
ordinary three-inch water pipe, such as is used to conduct water 
from the roofs of buildings. The first joint of this pipe was a 
short one, and made to fit loosely, so that it could be easily dis- 
connected from the drum by shoving back into the next joint 
when it became necessary to lift off the drum for the purpose of 
cleaning the wicks and stove. This pipe was then led through 
the bottom of a long, narrow box, placed in front of the rear 
bench, and kept filled with damp sand, to be used when bottom 
heat was required. The pipe was then carried along the rear 
wall, and next, upwards, until it terminated an inch or two below 
the open bottom of the wooden chimney ; were it carried directly 
out through the roof, the draught would be strong enough to ex- 
tinguish the flame in the stove. There should be sufficient length 
of pipe to absorb all the heat from the stove, and if made to run 
backwards and forwards this end will be better attained. If a 
little of the coal-oil odor does not occasionly escape into the room 
it may be advisable to make it do so, for the mealy bug will not 
thrive where it is present, and the odor in small quantities is not 
injurious to the plants. 

By placing shelving at available places a large additional 
amount of plant space can be obtained. In the building described 
there are over one hundred plants, quite a number of them being 
specimen plants in eight-inch pots, and but very few in pots as 
small as four-inch. Yet they are by no means crowded, and are 
in a very flourishing condition, all of them being hot-house plants. 
With an outside temperature of not less than fifteen degrees, an 
inside temperature of from fifty to sixty degrees can be easily 
maintained at an expenditure of one gallon of oil for each twenty- 
four hours. Should this temperature of fifteen degrees be ac- 
companied by strong winds, or should it lower to zero, some 
blanketing with old carpets or straw matting over the lower part 
of the sashes will be required. IIow much will depend largely 



62 FLORAL TALKS. 

upon the manner in which the glazing has been done. On sunny 
days the consumption of oil will be greatly lessened. 

The great value of such a structure, however, is for the late 
Fall and early Spring use. It is best to transfer the plants some 
warm day in December (as warm as can be expected at that sea- 
son) to Winter quarters in the conservatory or living room, and 
make use of the building for a different purpose. Having made 
this transfer, remove the boards which form the top of the 
benches, spade up the ground underneath, and put in low plants 
which require Winter protection, covering them, as the cold in- 
creases, with straw ; but, as the room will be required for warm- 
er work in February or March, discretion must be exercised as 
to the nature of the plants. They should be either such as will 
be desirable to force into early growth, or that can, in late Win- 
ter or early Spring, be safely transferred for a few weeks to the 
cellar. Last Winter mine was filled with the Summer layers of 
perpetual carnations and tender roses ; this Winter I purpose to 
fill it with anemones, ranunculus, etc., all in pots, to be trans- 
ferred to the cellar in February or March, and again to the open 
ground, turning them out of the pots as soon as the weather will 
permit. 

Hot-beds. 

All flower lovers are to some extent interested in growing 
flowers and plants under glass, and while some may not have a 
convenient place or room for a construction of this sort, others 
may, and no doubt would be pleased to learn something about 
them and how they are constructed, so we have devoted a chap- 
ter to this subject from the pen of practical persons. 

Seeing various articles on how to make a hot-bed, and hop- 
ing that a few suggestions from one who has actually made and 
taken care of hot-beds and cold-frames, may still be in time, I off- 
er the following for the benefit of new beginners (experienced 
gardeners need not read any further). 

First, the pit should be eighteen inches deep, and one foot 
longer and wider than the frame, which should be six feet wide. 
Manure must be fresh, and such as has air ady begun to heat. 
When filling the pit, spread evenly, and tramp firmly; fill pit lev- 
el with surface, a little higher at back than front. The frame 
may be of one inch, rough lumber, twelve inches at back and 
eight inches at front, closely fitted at corners, and well-braced at 
bottom and top. I say at bottom, as the earth that has to be 
banked around the outside will press the frame in at the bottom if 
not braced, and the braces on top are necessary to support the 
sash or sheets; after the frame is made, place it directly on the 
manure, but never set it on posts or brick walls. The object is to 
let frame, earth and manure all settle together, as the latter de- 
cays; five or six inches of rich garden soil may now be spread 
evenly over the manure, 



FLORAL TALKS. 63 

Where only one hot-bed is made and all kinds of seed sown, 
it is necessary to put a tight partition between plants that require 
much heat, such as tomato, peppers and egg plants, and those 
that do best in a lower temperature, cabbage,caulirlower and celery. 

I always use a thermometer, set about the center of the bed, 
and one sunk in the earth about two and one-half inches, for you 
want to know the temperature of the soil as well as the air. 

Tomatoes, peppers, etc., do best at 70° or 75° while cabbage 
thrives best at from 50° or 60° 

When watering a hot-bed do it thoroughly; be sure that the 
earth is wet down thorough. It is best to heat some water in the 
house and mix it with the fresh water before using. If the heat 
in the hot-bed gets too high, sharpen a broom handle and thrust 
it through the earth, well into the manure, making holes every 
two feet over the bed. On the other hand, should the heat go 
down, it can be renewed by making holes as above, and pouring 
in boiling hot water and closing the holes again. Muslin will do 
nicely, instead of glass sash, if given a coat with a paint brush of 
the following: One quart boiled linseed oil; two ounces rosin, 
well pulverized, and one ounce of sugar of lead, all dissolved in 
an iron or tin vessel and made quite hot. 

The Finer Aquilegias. 

The better forms of Aquilegias, such as Chrysantha, 
Coerula and Glandulosa, and the seedlings of these I class among 
my most attractive hardy plants of the garden. Besides being so 
perfectly suited to border culture, I find they do exceedingly 
well in pots, thus adapting them for window or veranda culture. 
Not the least advantage is that they can be easily raised from seed. 

Let me mention my method of raising the plants; I sow the 
seed in the end of July or early in August, in low boxes of sandy 
soil, which lattrr are kept in a frame covered with whitewashed 
glass. As soon as the plants are large enough to handle they are 
pricked out into other pans so as to have room to grow, which 
they will do until late Autumn. Towards Winter, and even dur- 
ing the Winter, the soil should be rather dry, for, although Aqui- 
legias like plenty of root moisture when they are making active 
growth, the roots will perish during the Winter if the soil about 
them is at all wet. Early Spring is quite soon enough to think 
of moving them again, which should be done into a well-prepared 
spot into the garden, unless they are to be grown in pots. In any 
case the soil should be moderately rich and deep, and the surface 
level, for if the weather is dry they will stand plenty of water, 
both while they are growing and while they are in flower. 

With me the varieties of coerula will flower for three or four 
years, but they do not do so in all soils, more frequently dying 
away after they have flowered twice; therefore, it is necessary to 
raise a stock of young plants, if not every year, once in two years. 

Those plants required to flower in pots should be taken up 



64 FLORAL TALKS. 

and placed in six-inch pots at the end of October, and the plants 
kept in a cool pit all the Winter. In this structure they will come 
into flower in May, and will make a striking object for any posi- 
tion where decorative plants are required. As soon as they go 
out of flower the stems may be cut down and the plants turned 
out again into the bed whence they were taken. 

Ornamental Grasses. 

Hardy ornamental grasses, when grown in large masses or 
clumps, form most beautiful and striking objects, whether grown 
upon the lawn, in the border or back grounds. 

All through the Summer their long, airy, graceful leaves 
dance about on every passing breeze, and in Fall and "Winter 
their large, feathery plumes are fitting accompaniments to the 
brilliant Autumn leaves and everlasting flowers so largely used 
for Winter decorations. 

Foremost among the many beautiful and valuable plants, in- 
troduced from Japan by Mr. Thomas Hogg, is the Euialia Japonica 
zebrina. 

Planted in deep, rich soil, and liberally mulched each Win- 
ter with manure, it will attain the size of six by six feet, or even 
greater dimensions. It is perfectly hardy and increases each year 
in size and beauty. But the most distinctive feature of this beau- 
tiful grass is in the variegation of its foliage. The leaves are a 
beautiful dark green, and striped crosswise instead of longitudi- 
nally, with creamy yellow. Its beautiful lyre-like plumes are 
plentifully produced, and when dried are valuable for decorative 
purposes, especially in bouquets of dried grasses and everlastings, 
where the noted pampas plumes would be objectionable on ac- 
count of their size. 

A fitting companion for this beautiful grass is E. Japanica 
variegata. 

We have no hesitation in saying that a well grown specimen 
of either of these deservedly popular grasses is an object at once 
striking and beautiful. Crianthus ravenuaea is another very 
desirable grass, growing larger than either of the above, with a 
wealth of sea green, ribbon like leaves and large plumes, produced 
at the top of tall stems. It is hardy and very fine, much resem- 
bling pampas grass in general appearance. 

Gynerium argenteum is the true pompas grass from South 
America, which produces the beautiful silvery white plumes of 
commerce. These plumes cannot be produced here in our north- 
ern climate, but are grown to perfection in California, and we 
see no reason why they may not be successfully grown at the 
South. 

Cultivation of the Cactus. 

Ladies frequently say to me, " How do you get your cacti to 
bloom so nicely?" One must understand the natural habits of a 



FLORAL TALKS. 65 

plant in order to cultivate it successsfully. I remember, many- 
years ago, of seeing my father plant a cactus slip in a pot of pure 
charcoal. It grew very luxuriantly, and when it bloomed the 
flower exceeded in size and beauty any we had ever seen on the 
old plant. I think four things are essential in the culture of the 
cactus — small pots, little water, rest at the proper time and plenty 
of charcoal in the pots. The roots should not be disturbed very 
often. I have a plant six years old, growing in a quart can, that 
"has never been repotted. It has large three-cornered leaves one 
and a-half to two feet long, and so heavy it will not stand alone. 
The flowers on it now are beauties. A large pink flowered one, 
sixteen years old, is growing in a-half gallon jar, has been repotted 
once in that time, it blooms freely twice a year. When there is 
danger of frost, I bring all my cacti into the house and set them 
in some out-of-the-way corner where they will not freeze. Never 
give any water until February, then give them a good soaking 
with warm suds from the washtub and set them in a warm place. 
The leaves will soon begin to freshen up, and they will usually 
be in bloom in about two months. After blooming they make 
their growth. When you think they have grown enough lay 
them down in some safe sunny place out of doors and let them 
dry up till they are well wilted; set up your plants and water as 
before, and you will have another crop of flowers before Winter. 
In choosing slips take old wilted leaves or those showing flower 
buds. The buds will usually grow on and bloom, and if given 
proper treatment will bloom the next season. The lobster or 
crab's claw cactus is beautiful for a hanging basket. Having kept 
cacti for ten years or more with never a flower until I learned to 
et them have their dry rest, I now have no lack of flowers. 

Wallflowers. 

This old favorite seems to grow and thrive' in England with- 
out much care or cultivation, and for the sake of old associations 
I have tried to keep them here, but found the greatest trouble 
was to keep them cool enough in ordinary houses. They do 
pretty well if the seed is started in beds and transplanted to large 
pots, plunging the pots in the ground, and if intended for flow- 
ering in the house, they should be removed before frost and given 
a cool place, but they are not recommended for house culture, as 
it is a waste of room that could better be filled by plants that 
would furnish more flowers with less trouble. They may be 
stored in a cool place, with moderate light and enough water to 
keep them from drying up, and early in the Spring planted out 
in the open border. Under such treatment the old leaves wither 
and either fall off or are easily removed, when a new and vigor- 
ous growth will soon start, followed by an abundance of bloom 
early in the season. They do not Winter over a second season 
satisfactorily, so that young plants should be produced each sea- 
Con if flowers are wanted the following year. 



66 FLORAL TALKS. 

An Amateur's Greenhouse. 

1 would like to give you an account of some very pleasant 
and successful experience I have had in growing flowers in Winter, 
by which your readers may be informed that the luxury of a hot- 
house may be enjoyed without the usual requirement of being 
" well off." I live on the north side of a street running east and 
west. My rear fence is ten feet in height, of tongue and groove 
heavy yellow pine. Against this I built a little hot-house seven 
feet square, front height six feet, and back nine feet. Having 
about my house all the necessary tools, and being accustomed 
from boyhood to their use, I undertook to build it myself, and 
made a good j >b of it. The house finished, I stocked it with plants 
for the Winter, and arranged a square tin vessel under the lower 
stand, filled with water, below which I placed a coal oil lamp for 
heating. This I found destroyed nearly all the foliage in the house. 
I then had constructed a tin tank, seven feet by twelve inches 
and four inches deep, with a hollow bottom two inches deep; in- 
to this hollow bottom I had three large holes cut for three lamps, 
and in the end of same a pipe was attached to run outside of the 
house as a chimney to carry off the fumes of the lamps. This 
tank filled with water required but one lamp placed under the 
middle hole to keep the house warm during the severest weather 
— the house being covered at night with carpet over the top and 
front, and my flowers prospered and grew splendidly. Over this 
tank I started, in boxes, all my Spring seed, and this service alone 
was worth all my trouble and expense. I will give you my 
memorandum of expenses, and hope it may tend to encourage 
some other lovers of flowers to possess themselves of one of the 
greatest pleasures and comforts they can have while engaged in 
their favorite pursuit: 

2 old sash, 3^ by 3^ feet, for front $ 1.00 

225 feet flooring, tongue and groove, at $3. 50 7. 88 

48 feet 2 by 3 scantling, at $2.75 1.32 

2 top sash, madetoorder 2.50 

Staging, (work done by myself) 60 

Hardware 1.50 

Cord and pullies for top sash 80 

Tank and lamps for heating 9.70 

Total $28.70 

Tables, shelves, racks, etc., I built out of old lumber from 
recent fence repairs. I kept no account of oil, but think I used 
about a gallon per week for the one lamp, the largest made. 
Price paid for oil, 20 cents per gallon. Vick's Magazine, 

The expense of erecting glass houses will vary somewhat, of 
course, according to the locality and cost of materials, carting, 
etc., but it is surprising to know how reasonable a small house 
may be constructed if one is at all handy with tools. 



FLORAL TALKS. 67 

A Cut Flower Corner. 

One who loves flowers will want a corner of the garden in 
which to raise plants to cut from, for more or less of them will be 
wanted in the house all through the season, and to give away in 
bouquets to friends, and there will be apt to be a demand from 
church and school entertainments for more flowers than one feels 
like cutting from that part of the garden designed for the adorn- 
ment of the home grounds, and which cannot be encroached on 
to any great extent without detracting from its beauty. To sup- 
ply these demands I would advise having a corner in which to 
sow all kinds of flowers. Such a corner can be made the most 
attractive part of the garden, because there will be such a ' ' make- 
yourself -at-home-air " about it. When you go among your 
"show plants " in formal beds, one feels somewhat as if he were 
being entertained while making a call, but when you go into the 
"catch all" corner it seems as if one had "dropped in" on a 
neighbor with whom all ceremony could be dispensed with. No 
formality there, no putting on airs for appearance's sake, but old- 
fashioned hospitality of the free and easy sort, which is, after all 
that's said and done about it, the best kind of hospitality I know 
anything about. I always feel as if I were expected to put on 
company manners and "spruce up " a little when going into the 
show garden, but never that way when I visit the corner where I 
raise a " little of everything." 

Such a happy family of plants as I had there this season. 
Sweet peas caught hold of the fence and pulled themselves up, 
up, up, until they could look over on the other side, and Phlox 
and Mignonette snuggled down among the Larkspur as if they 
were in love with each other; Marigolds and Petunias tried to see 
which could make the most show at one side of the corner, and 
Chinese Pinks and Portulaca made a great effort to outdo them on 
the other, and it wasn't their fault if they did not succeed. And 
in the centerBachelor 's Buttons and Poppies and Mourning Brides, 
as they call the Scabiosa in a great many sections of the country, 
grew up in the most perfect harmony together, and did what 
they could toward making the world bright and cheerful, and 
that was no little. An old lady living near used to come very of- 
ten over to see what she called my " old fashioned garden." ' 'It's 
like the gardens they used to have when I was a girl," she said. 
" Then they grew flowers for their own sakes, but now-a-days 
they want them to help make a show. A show is what most 
persons care about, it seems to me, more than they do about the 
dear flowers." 

I think she was right. If we grew flowers simply for the 
pleasure to be derived from their beauty and fragrance — and that, 
it seems to me, is why we ought to grow them — we would never 
plant them in prim and formal beds where the pattern and de- 
sign is sure to be spoken of, but seldom the beauty of the flowers 



68 FLOKAL TALKS. 

with which they are wrought out. It has always seemed wrong 
to me to make such a use of anything but bright f oliaged plants. 
Use them for carpet and ribbon gardening where the design will 
be such a formidable rival of the flowers' beauty as to force it in- 
to the background, or rather, to make it secondary, and plant 
the flowers where they can be and will be admired because of 
themselves. 

Some day carpet beds in which the effect is worked out with 
fine flowers will be thought in as bad taste as the floral designs 
exhibited at weddings and funerals. They are impositions on 
good taste, but they are "the fashion," and one might as well be 
out of the world as out of the fashion, they say. 

One of the best new geraniums is Apple blossom. It is a 
soft pink, shading into white, almost exactly like the flower from 
which it takes its name. Most of our pink geraniums have been 
of a bright rosy shade, but this is of the pearly, sea shell tint, 
which is half way between pink and white; it is, in fact, a Pau- 
line Lucca with the hint of a blush on its petals. 

And speaking of Pauline Lucca, reminds me that I wanted 
to say that this is the very best white geranium I have ever 
grown. Most so-called white ones are not white, they are tinged 
with red or green and have a dirty look ; but this variety is pure 
white, and it is, moreover, of fine shape and very free flowering, 
quite as good in most ways as the more popular scarlet varieties are. 
The best scarlet, so far as color and shape are concerned, is Rienzi. 
And the next best is William Cullen Bryant. Both of these 
varieties are very rich and brilliant in color, with a velvety texture 
in their petals, and a glow like that of gold dust on them when 
you look at them in the sunlight. The petals are so wide that 
they overlap each other and give us a round flower, like a pansy. 
The day of the old, narrow petaled geranium is about gone. 
Such kinds will soon be neglected by all who like to have full, 
circular flowers, and who does not ? I can remember when the 
blossoms of this popular plant were made up of five narrow pet- 
als, standing out from each other in an unneighborly way, and 
about all the beauty there was about them was in their color, 
which has not been improved so much, in the scarlet and crimson 
sections, as has the form of the flower. 

Among the doubles I fancy there are few, if any, superior to 
Madame Lemoine, which was one of the first double pink kinds 
introduced. It is a good bloomer, fine in shape and unsurpassed 
in color. 

One of the best variegated leaved plants I have had for the 
last two years is the new geranium, Madame Salleroi. Its leaves 
are never cupped or drawn down about the edges as most of the 
green and white kinds are. Mountain of Snow and similar kinds 
do not retain their foliage long; about as soon as a leaf completes 
its growth it begins to turn yellow and soon drops off, the varie- 
gation being a sign of a lack of vitality in the strain ; but this is 



Floral talks, 69 

not the case with Madame Sallerol ; the foliage is retained in a 
healthy condition quite as well as that of the green leaved kinds. 
It is a most useful plant to work in among others. I have sever- 
al pots of it, and whenever there is a need of something to bright- 
en up a group, and flowers are not at hand to do it, I use these 
geraniums, and their pretty green and white leaves are very ef- 
fective. They grow in a very compact shape, forming a round- 
ed mass of foliage over the top of the pot. I do not hesitate to pro- 
nounce it the best white edged variety we have. For a border 
out of doors it is far suuerior to the old section of white and green 
leaved geraniums. 

Summer- Flowering Oxalis. 

I doubt if there is anything in the bulb line which will give 
more satisfaction for the same outlay in money than the beauti- 
ful summer-flowering oxalis. The bulbs are quite small, but when 
planted in the open ground in May, they at once send up a fine 
lot of handsome foliage and flower-spikes bearing clusters of ele- 
gant flowers, some white and others pink, according to the varie- 
ty. The whole height of the plant is about nine inches. When 
planted in a row for a border they make a thick, unbroken mass 
of foliage aud flowers, and are one of the neatest and prettiest 
things that can be used for bordering. They bloom in a few 
weeks after planting, and will remain attractive all the Summer. 
"When grown in beds, or masses, they are also effective. The 
bulbs should be taken up in the Fall and Wintered like gladiolus. 
They increase very rapidly, and a dozen or two planted in the 
Spring will yield several hundred when dug in the Fall. They 
are very cheap, and we advise those who have a garden to plant 
a good lot of them. For pots they are also very fine, but do 
not give as good a growth as they do in the open ground. 

Sweet Violets. 

Dainty and loveable, dear through history, beauty, sweet- 
ness and modesty, what garden, humble or aristocratic, has not 
its retired corner sacred to violets ? Who does not love to bend 
above a violet bed, gently touching leaves and blossoms, stirring 
the soil, and breathing in with their exquisite fragrance pure les- 
sons of life ? Such a tender and loving reverence we feel for 
these sweet friends of ours, that weeds are never jerked up rough- 
ly, nor runners and blossoms heedlessly cut. Fingers touch them 
gently, lips press their fragrant petals softly, and the bosom 
which stirs beneath a knot of violets, needs no other badge of re- 
finement and modesty, for the flaunting flower lover would nev- 
er gather them. 

The violet, on account of its easy cultivation and popularity, 
might be called the people's or the poor man's flower, for it needs 
no greenhouse heat, but loves a cool, moist atmosphere and will 
thrive where almost all fashionable flowers perish. During Win- 



70 FLORAL TALKS. 

ter those who grow them for show, to boast of their iarge size and 
perpetual bloom, banish them to seclusion, under a sash in a 
frame and sunny spat ; but those who value its companionship 
and love to turn from their work to see the sweet bright faces 
nodding at them and sending perfumed messages, place them in 
their windows and enjoy them in the right way. About the befet 
situation for violets is a plain board frame on "the south side of 
the house, with a sash that may be tilted on bright days to admit 
fresh air. A box or pan set with the plants and placed in a south 
window in a cool room is its delight. In my Southern home, I 
can grow them in long, narrow boxes which fit the outside win- 
dow ledges on the south side, but even here they do not grow so 
well as down in the bed where they grow all Summer, with a few 
leaves strewn over them, or, if I am particularly indulgent, cov- 
ered with an old sash. If the soil is too rich the leaves will grow 
large and rank at the expense of blossoms. It will not blossom in 
pits. 

Swanley "White is sent out as a perpetual bloomer, but really 
blooms only twice a year, in Spring and Autumn. It is well wor- 
thy all the praise that has been heaped upon it, for a more beau- 
tiful and perfect flower never bloomed. In growth and bloom it 
is more vigorous and constant than its parent, Marie Louise ; but 
for all this do not discount Marie too heavily, for there are few 
equal to her. This year the center of the flower was a salmon 
rose, a color I could not account for; you can imagine how love- 
ly it looked, shading off into the pale lavender blue of the outside 
petals. 

There are some very fine new varieties of violets, M'me Mil- 
let, containing among violets the first real shade of red. The 
ground color is a beautiful violet purple, shading toward center 
with carmine. It resembles Marie Louise in many respects. 
Miss Cleveland, single like her namesake, is rich, dark, bluish 
purple, the flowers borne on long stems, very free blooming and 
very fragrant. Victoria Regina has very large, pansy -shaped 
flowers, and is indeed the queen of single violets in color, size and 
perfume, but after successfully growing and blooming them, if 
it were necessary to give up all but two I would be well content 
with Swanley White and Marie Louise. 

Dwarf Rocket Larkspur. 

These are some of the most pleasing and brilliant-hued flow- 
ers among the annuals. They are varieties derived from Del- 
phinium Ajacis, an Alpine plant, and all prefer a cool, moist 
soil. The plants are easily raised by sowing the seeds in the 
open border early in Spring, or, what is preferable, in the Fall, 
so that germination may ensue at the earliest opportunity in 
Spring. The seeds should be sown thin, scattering them broad- 
cast over a space rather than in rows. If they stand four to six 
inches apart it is close enough ; those that spring up closer to 



FLORAL TALKS. 71 

each other can be separated by transplanting. An occasional 
stirring of the soil and keeping it free from weeds is the extent 
of cultivation required. These plants are sometimes called Hya- 
cinth-flowered Larkspur, on account of the long, narrow spike of 
flowers, in shape like the raceme of the hyacinth, a feature from 
which the term "Rocket" is als@ derived. The shades of color 
are numerous, among which are mentioned white, white tinged 
with blue, apple-blossom, buff, rose, brick-red, red lilac, dark 
lilac, azure, light blue, dark blue, violet and fawn. The varie- 
ties are seldom kept separate in common cultivation, the mixed 
colors appearing in a mass being quite as pleasing, as well as 
handy for cutting. The flowers are very valuable for cutting for 
vases. 

In planting a flower garden we should never lose sight of 
those flowers desirable for cutting for the ornamentation of our 
rooms, and a good breadth of border should be specially pro- 
vided for them. The shady side of a hedge is most suitable for 
those delighting in a cool soil or slight shade, while a full expo- 
sure best serves the sun-loving plants. A careful discrimination 
and selection should, therefore, be made of positions for plants of 
different requirements, if we rightfully expect to realize the high- 
est, results in our garden work. The beginner may probably 
make some mistakes in this respect, which will be corrected only 
hy experience, still there is usually sufficient information at hand 
to guide one who carefully seeks to do his work in the best way. 
What to sow or plant, and how, and when, and where, are ques- 
tions which the plant grower must never forget to ply. Timely 
asked and well-answered they form the key to most of the diffi- 
culties that present themselves to the young gardener. 

The Calceolaria. 

Those of us who can look back over a period of but thirty 
years can contemplate with satisfaction the great improvement 
made in that time in this very showy greenhouse plant. It is not 
to be expected that improvement can go on so rapidly in the fu- 
ture as it has done in the past, nor does it seem to be necessary, 
as the standard of perfection has almost been attained. The 
plants now in cultivation are of dwarf, compact habit. The heads 
of bloom are very large, and the flowers possess the requisite 
properties of good form, size, richness and diversity of coloring. 
The set of twelve plants which was awarded the first prize at 
the Crystal Palace contained the best examples of culture ever 
seen in London. The individual specimens were of large size, 
and the well formed richly colored flowers were two and one- 
half inches in diameter. One had flowers of a rich deep yellow, 
densely dotted and spotted cinnamon red; others yellow, blotched 
maroon ; primrose, lightly spotted crimson ; yellow, sparingly 
spotted with red; crimson-scarlet and yellow, self-colored flowers. 
How such handsome specimens are produced is a question many 



72 FLORAL TALKS. 

persons have asked. In the first place, a good strain of seeds 
must be obtained. Mr. James has, by careful selection through a 
long series of years, brought the calceolaria to its present state of ex- 
cellence. He also has a thorough knowledge of the requirement 
of his plants, The seeds may be sown now or in June and July; 
they are of very small size, and a packet obtained from the seed 
shops is so minute, that a careless person, in opening the packet, 
has jerked all the seeds out of it, and innocently insisted that it 
never contained any. A five-inch pot is the right size, for an or- 
dinary half-crown packet of seeds. The pot should be well drain- 
ed and filled to within an inch of the rim with ordinary potting 
soil. The half inch on the top must be finished up with finely 
sifted candy soil and made quite level; on this sow the seeds, and 
just sprinkle over them some fine sand. It is a good plan to lay 
a square of glass over the top to keep the soil in a moist condition, 
for if it should become over dry during the germination of the 
seeds, probably the whole of them would perish. I generally 
place the pot containing the seeds in a hand glass or frame, on 
the north side of a wall or fence, to prevent any injury from the 
action of the sun. When the tiny seedlings are large enough to 
be pricked out, a dozen of them may be planted in a three-inch 
pot, and when the leaves of these well cover the surface they may 
again be potted off, three into the same sized pot, to be again re- 
potted with one in a pot. After this they grow very freely when 
the conditions are favorable to their perfect development ; and 
those conditions are, first, good potting soil, composed of three 
parts good turfy loam, one part leaf-mould, one part decayed 
stable manure, and a little turfy peat. The plants must also be 
kept steadily growing in a greenhouse kept close to the glass, and 
shaded lightly from the mid-day sun. The plants must be repot- 
ted before they become in the least root-bound. They like am- 
ple ventilation, but if the wind is high and dry the ventilators 
must not be opened on that side from which the wind blows, as 
a high, drying wind causes the leaves to flag as if the plants were 
suffering from want of water. This is another thing that must 
not happen, because a plant that once suffers from over-dryness 
once will never make such a perfect specimen as if this had not 
taken place; but if this should occur more than once, the proba- 
bility of successful results is very remote. Further, any plants 
that receive a check to their growth are almost sure to become in- 
fested with green-fly sooner than those that are kept in a healthy 
growing state. In fact, it must be noted here that no plant is 
more liable to be attacked by green-fly, which would render 
the plants worthless if not constantly destroyed by fumigating 
with tobacco smoke. Besides the raising of plants from seeds, 
they can readily be propagated from rooted offsets. These are 
obtained by placing the plants when they are past flowering into 
a cool pit or frame; some good compost may be placed over the 
bare stems, and the roots will speedily push out from the part of 



FLORAL TALKS. *73 

the stem nearest the leaves. Whenever these roots are formed 
the plants may be divided, and the small portions be repotted in- 
to three-inch or four-inch pots. At one time nearly all the plants 
grown in gardens were propagated in this way, but they are not 
so free in growth, nor do they make such handsome specimens as 
seedlings do. 

The Wild-Garden. 

In some catalogues are advertised packages of seeds for the 
wild-garden, made up of a mixture of annuals and perennials; the 
seeds are to be scattered in some suitable spot and allowed to 
grow as they will; some will find the spot congenial, will thrive 
and give a display of flowers and will also crowd out their weak- 
er neighbors, There will be, no doubt, some pleasure in watch- 
ing the growth of the unknown seeds, and tracing their develop- 
ment to a flowering stage, but the results will, by no means, be 
as satisfactory as those derived from a more carefully and sys- 
tematically planted wild-garden. 

There are very few grounds in which there is not a waste 
corner that might be made very interesting by the addition of 
suitable plants that would grow with little care and attention. 
And in estates of a few acres, especially in New England, there 
is very often a damp or ledgy piece of woods, a spring, a bushy 
corner, or stony field considered of no value for tillage, and al- 
lowed to remain in its natural state, such a spot may be made 
very attractive by adding new plants adapted to the soil repre- 
sented. 

To cover the whole list of trees, shrubs and annuals suited to 
Such localities would make an article of too great length, so I 
will confine myself to suggestions in regard to hardy perennials, 
for from this class of plants would really come the most valuable 
■and available subjects for the purpose named, as among them is 
a great variety in size, time of blooming, and color of flowers, 
and power of adapting themselves to surroundings. 

Among hardy perennials are many very handsome flowering 
plants that are rather weedy for the flower-garden; they are 
weedy because they are strong, vigorous growers, and this is an 
objection to their use among more delicate growers, but this fault 
for the flower-garden js a virtue for the wild-garden, as such plants 
are there able to take care of themselves among the surrounding 
vegetation. 

> We have also in our gardens many plants that are out of their 
native condition; they keep within bounds, blossom nicely and 
are well behaved members of the garden family, but give them 
their natural home, perhaps along the edge of a brook, or in a 
peaty bog, they will spring into a luxuriance of foliage and flow- 
ers unthought of in their garden quarters, and, instead of a clump 
of a plant with its flowers you will have beds of plants and sheets 
and masses of flowers. 



74 FLORAL TALKS. 

We must, in the wild-garden, work for bold and striking ef- 
fects, great masses of plants and flowers that we may admire at 
a distance, where the roughness and unfinish will not be apparent. 

Those plants that are suited to the wild-garden of large extent 
are equally as well suited to the corners and rough spots in small 
grounds, where the same conditions exist. 

When a selection of plants is made for a certain spot, you 
must lirst find if they will grow there, and not only grow, but 
thrive and hold their own with all their neighbors. Keep in 
mind it is to be a wild-garden, where everything is to take care 
of itself and fight its own battles with but little assistance. But 
care must also be taken not to introduce plants that are too weedy, 
so much so that nothing can grow near them. A balance of 
power is desirable, and especially so in soil of a uniform charac- 
ter. In some localities a great variety in the soil would serve to 
limit the growth of plants to the spots best suited to their wants. 

Any list of plants made up for a certain locality would not 
be complete for another, for conditions vary so, yet there are cer- 
tain plants that should be considered in making up every wild- 
garden, and I will mention some of them. 

One of the most brilliant of our native flowers is the butterfly 
weed, asclepias tuberosa. It grows on poor gravelly or sandy 
•soil, and covers, in some localities, acres of ground. The flowers 
are brilliant orange, freely produced for a long season. A plant 
is from two to three feet high, and often spreads as much, and a 
poor side hill or field could be made gorgeous with masses of this 
plant here and there. 

The Adam's needle, yucca filamentosa, a well-known garden 
plant, would thrive in poor soil, and groups and masses would 
form a striking feature in the landscape. The sword-shaped, 
evergreen leaves would form bold masses of color in Winter or 
Summer, and a more beautiful display could not be produced 
than that made where the immense compound flower spikes are 
in bloom. It will do well, too, in a rocky soil or on ledges in 
pockets where there is a depth of soil, and nothing could be more 
picturesque than to see a mass of these plants against the sky on 
the top of a bank or ledge, or in a wide crevice on its side. 

On dry, poor soil the pretty spurge, euphorbia corollata, is 
very useful. It is low, one to two feet, and has great heads of 
pure white flower-like involucres, produced all Summer. 

Many showy composite will succeed on most soils, and make 
a great display with their bright flowers. The perennial sunflow- 
er, helianthus decapetalus, and the Maximilian variety of hibiscus 
missouricus are very desirable. 

The yellow and brown cone-flower, rudbeckia hirta, now so 
common in many of our fields, and the white weed, leucanthe- 
mum vulgaris, are pretty, but too common. 

In good spots of soil on dry ledges several dwarf phloxes may 
be made to grow; the starry phlox, phlox stellaria, the, moss pink, 



FLORAL TALKS. 75 

phlox subulata, and its varieties, and the rock cress, arabis alpina, 
and in narrow crevices and little niches the house-leeks or sem- 
pervivums, sedums, and prickly pears or opuntias, will grow. In 
the sempervivums there is a great variety in the rosettes of foli- 
age, and they form elegant and interesting bunches of plants. 
Many of the sedums have very pretty flowers in shades of yellow, 
red and purple. These succulent plants will grow where noth- 
ing else will, in the dryest spots wherever their roots can find a 
foothold in soil or in a crack in the face of a rock. Do not be 
content with only one or two kinds; there is a great variety in 
both house-leeks and sedums, and, as they will fill a place unoc- 
cupied by other plants, there should be as great a variety as pos- 
sible. In a good soil, no matter how rocky it is, there are a great 
many plants that may be grown; the rocks will aid in retaining 
the moisture at the roots. As a rule, plants with thick, fleshy 
roots will do well in such localities; among them are the paeony, 
campanula grandiflora, and the dictamnus fraxinella, and among 
bulbous plants the tiger lily, and the stronger thumbergianum 
varieties. This would be a fine place for the clematis. Imagine 
a rock of bush covered with C. Jackmani or other large-flowered 
kind in blossom; and the native Virgin's bower is very showy in 
such a spot. 

On the edges of open, wet land the wild senna, cassia mari- 
landica, can be planted with advantage; it forms large masses, 
and has a splendid show of bright yellow flowers late in the sea- 
son. The mallows may be grown in wet soil. The gorgeous 
marsh mallow, hibiscus moscheutos, with its great pink flowers, 
and its cream colored companion, hibiscus flavescens, both grow 
in masses, and are from three to four feet high. Hibiscus mili- 
taris grows taller and is a handsomer plant, but the flowers are 
not so large, but even they are three inches across. 

The purple and white thoroughworts form very effective 
groups when in flower, and the cardinal flower on the edges of 
streams or shady pools is a most brilliant plant in August. 

In the woods the beautiful trilliums can be introduced and 
jack in the pulpit, violets, pyrolas and eupatoriums. 

The list might be extended indefinitely to include hundreds of 
plants that might be made to succeed in the right positions, but 
enough have been given to suggest what may be used. The best 
lesson, however, is experience, but it is well to avoid one experi- 
ence; that is, introducing very weedy plants; be careful in the 
selection of plants, and it is not best to try to crowd too many 
different kinds into one spot, but rather many of one desirable 
kind — enough in one mass to make a conspicuous show when in 
flower. Of course, in making a selection it is best to secure a 
succession of bloom throughout the season. 

A well filled wild-garden will afford a very great amount of 
pleasure; we all love the woods and fields, and the flowers we 
find scattered in one place and another over them. Nature has a 



76 FLORAL TALKS. 

large field to work on, but often she concentrates her energies on 
one spot to make it more than usually attractive. In the wild 
garden we may assist her in her work; and if we assist judicious- 
ly our reward will be great. 

Agapanthus Umbellatus. 

This is an evergreen; and one makes a mistake taking it into 
a dark cellar to spend the Winter. The leaves call for the con- 
stant stimulus of light, and when the sunshine is withheld from 
the plant for the third part of the year, the leaves turn pale, sick- 
ly, feeble and flabby, and suffer not a little. It takes all the 
Spring and a large part of the Summer to recover from such treat- 
ment. I gave my plant six weeks of cellar confinement last Win- 
ter, however, without detriment ; for the leaves did not pale, 
and a most vigorous bloom set in, lasting as long a period in glory 
as it had spent in the cellar. 

The leaves of this plant are about an inch wide and a foot 
long when mature. They are all radical, but evidently alternate; 
for as one comes from the center it arches to the right, while its 
successor immediately arches to the left. 

The leaf is entire and very plain, with only a midrib and ten 
parallel ribs or veins on each side of it, and it continues in vigor 
for months without showing any sign of decay. About the first 
of June, the flowerbud begins to appear amid the leaves, so flat 
at first as to seem only another leaf. In a week its character is 
fully shown, however, and then one watches day by day for the 
enlargement and maturity of the sheath, and for its opening t o 
disclose the flowers within. About the first of July the sheath 
opens and more than fifty flower buds in various stages of de- 
velopment are revealed. " One is ready to open in a few days, the 
smallest will not open for a month, and during the next six or 
seven weeks there stands the tall scape, surmounted by its umbel 
of azure, or cerulean flowers, each one nearly two inches long, 
on its own peduncle of equal length, one or two or even three 
new flowers opening every day and remaining in beauty for a 
week and then dropping from its support, till all have bloomed. 
I know not how much longer the scape would remain in vigor, 
surmounted with the peduncles, not without some beauty even 
thus. But, after waiting till the seventy-fifth flower had bloom- 
ed, withered and dropped, and two weeks longer, I cut off the 
scape, that all the vigor of the plant might be used in the devel- 
opment of two incipient plants growing all this time one on each 
side of the scape, but both inside of the leaves of the parent plant, 
each has three or four leaves from two to eight inches in length, 
and I am wondering whether by careful treatment I can make both 
bloom next Summer. The whole plant, at the surface of the 
ground, has a circumference of almost five inches, putting the 
tape outside the leaves of last Spring and embracing the butt of 
the flower- scape and the two incipient growths. From the day 



FLORAL TALKS. 77 

the flower-bud appeared, until the scape was cut off, my plant, 
in a twelve inch flower pot, stood in a basin full of water expos- 
ed to the full blaze of the sun; twice while blooming, it also re- 
ceived some liquid manure. 

Floral Brevities. 

The Germans cultivate ivy in their rooms with great success. 
Placing a root in a large pot by one side of a window, they will 
train it as it grows until it forms a pretty frame for the entire 
window. At Fordham there is a drug store in which ivy has been 
trained completely across the ceiling, passing both windows. 
The root from which it originated was brought from Westminis- 
ter Abbey to this country several years ago. 

A pretty corner is easily made with the help of a carpenter. 
Corner shelves may be fitted into either side opposite the entrance, 
and serve to hold an ornamental pot with creeping plants or a 
bowl with gold-fish. Such a niche, if prettily draped, could be 
a very great help in brightening up the hallway, which is apt, in 
small houses, to be gloomy and depressing in effect. 

Antirrhinum.— If no seeds are allowed to form during the 
Summer the plants will bloom the finer, and besides throw up 
young vigorous shoots, making thrifty plants by Autumn, which 
will safely endure the Winter. A light covering should be given 
at the north where the weather is severe. We should not forget 
that profuse flowering exhausts the plants. 

Scilla Siberica. — This beautiful little bulb is one of the most 
charming of Spring flowers. Plant them on the lawn among the 
grass, and they will bloom very early every Spring, before the 
grass starts. 

Lilium Caudidum is a most beautiful and fragrant sort, and 
when it requires transplanting, it should be done only in the Fall, 
and the earlier the better. August is probably the best month to 
move the bulbs. 

Iris. 

Among the very best June flowers is the Iris family, with its 
large range of beautiful forms and colors. Persica is one of the 
first to bloom, commencing with the Crocus. Following comes, 
early in May, the Hispanica and Anglica sorts and the rare and 
beautiful Susiana. This is really one of the most beautiful of all 
flowers. The German sorts come later, with a great variety of 
color, but the most valuable class is the kaempferi. The flowers 
are very large and borne in great profusion, while the range of 
colors is very great. They are perfectly hardy and a small plant 
will, in a year or two, form a large clump which will make a 
magnificent show each year. We advise all lovers of flowers to 
plant a good variety of hardy Iris from the early to the late flower- 
ing sorts. They will afford a great deal of satisfaction. There 
is no hardy border plant except the lily which is, in our estima- 
tion, so desirable, 



78 FLOKAL TALKS. 

The Chinese Primrose. 

As the time is fast approaching when seed should be sown 
by those who contemplate growing Chinese Primroses for the 
coming Winter, perhaps a few words about this most desirable 
house plant may not be amiss. 

If you wish for an abundance of Winter flowers, do not fail 
to sow one or two packets of Primrose seed this Spring, thereby 
laying a foundation for many pleasant hours during " the long 
and dreary Winter," when you can count your blossoms by the 
hundred, instead of hunting diligently all over your window in 
the forlorn hope of discovering an adventurous flower somewhere, 
and finding "nothing but leaves." 

Unless one purchases a packet of each variety of seed it is 
well to confine experiments to mixed seeds alone, for they are, as 
a rule, very satisfactory, producing so many and such diverse 
varieties, each of which has a charm pertaining only to itself, 
some peculiarity of color or making, or, perhaps a difference of 
form or tint in the foliage, enhancing its beauty and effectually 
preventing monotony, which may exist even in the floral king- 
dom. The seed, if sown in March or April, the young plants 
pricked out into small pots as soon as they have put forth a 
few leaves, and transferred again after an interval of a few 
weeks into jars of larger size, should make strong specimens in 
Autumn, and be ready for the Winter's campaign, especially if 
grown in a good strong light — not sunshine — which produces 
stocky plants. The chief desire of a Primrose's life seems to be, 
judging from appearances, to crawl out of the jar in which it is 
growing. This can be easily remedied by changing the abode of 
the delinquent, taking it out of the pot which it is trying to get 
away from and putting it into a deeper receptacle, removing, 
if necessary, a portion of the old earth from the roots, in order 
toadmit of their being set so far down into the new jar that 
earth may be filled in until it reaches the base of the leaf-stalks 
and yet leave the requisite vacancy at the top of the pot for 
water. 

If there is one thing that is disagreeable in watering plants it 
is to find one in a pot that is full of earth to the very brim, for in 
this case you must either go through the tedious process of put- 
ting on the water a few drops at a time, or, if tired out by this 
lengthy ceremony, you get reckless and pour on the water as you 
would under ordinary circumstances, you have the sublime satis- 
faction of seeing not only the water, but also a good share of the 
soil in the pot, make a wild rush over the side into the most in- 
convenient and undesirable place to be found on such short notice, 
no matter whether it be the leaves and flowers of some plant on a 
lower shelf, or your best carpet, or your last new book if you have 
been careless enough to lay it down, within reaching distance of 
the deluge. 



FLORAL TALKS. 79 

It is well to shift the Primroses into pots of larger size as soon 
as they have filled the smaller ones with roots, but when they 
have attained the dignity of a five or six-inch pot they may be 
placed in the window where they are to remain through the Win- 
ter, and allowed to grow on unmolested, as they will do nicely in 
a pot of that size. 

There are two facts which those who hope for success with 
the Primrose should bear in mind: first, that a mellow soil or 
compost is an absolute necessity, from the reason that the roots 
of this plant consist of a mass of delicate fibres unable to contend 
with clay or gravel, and unfitted by nature to wrestle with 
hard-pan; secondly, that too much water will cause decay; a 
reasonable amount is, of course, required, if the best results are 
to be attained, but this is to be applied at the root and not on the 
foliage; it is better to err by giving too little than the reverse, as 
the Primrose will live and produce flowers with a very slight 
amount of moisture, while a superabundance is fatal. Like some 
other plants with hirsute leaves, the Primrose seems impatient of 
water on its foliage; it is, therefore, best, as much as possible, to 
guard the plants from dust during sweeping seasons on the 
principle that "an ounce of preventive is worth a pound of 
cure." 

I feel rather like a culprit, an individual who forswears his 
allegiance to an old and tried friend, when I say that, on the 
whole, the Primrose is a better Winter house plant than the ger- 
anium, especially for those who have limited space. The geran- 
ium must have room and sunshine in order to grow in such a 
manner as to give many flowers, while the Chinese Primrose will 
send forth its masses of bloom in the despised north window with- 
out even the benediction of a ray of sunshine. Being a plant of 
lower and more compact growth than the geranium, the shelves 
Which contain it may be quite close together. A stand with the 
shelves not more than six inches apart, and' well filled with these 
plants can be made to assume the appearance of a bank of prim- 
roses, the pots and shelves being almost hidden with the foliage 
and flowers. Its long period of blooming renders the plant much 
more desirable than many another of, perhaps, more striking 
but evanescent beauty. The individual blossoms remain perfect 
for days, and as one whorl begins to fade another rises to the 
occasion, supplying the deficiency, and before the successive tiers 
on the first stalk have finished their display, new clusters are 
peeping up from the base of the plant to increase and intensify its 
beauty. 

Perhaps, however, one of the greatest charms of this pretty 
flower is the delicate odor, so suggestive of May blossoms, and 
the " green things growing," that one can forget the bleak land- 
scape outside, with its leafless trees, barren fields, or dazzling 
glare of snow, and in fancy step across the intervening months of 
cold and discomfort into the fairyland of Spring. 



80 FLORAL TALKS. 

Fern Culture. 

Many rooms which have not the light necessary for success 
with flowering plants during Winter are well adapted for the cul- 
ture of what are termed fine foliaged plants, such as are grown for 
their ornamental foliage and tine habits. A partially-shaded win- 
dow is just what some of our finest species of ferns delight in, 
and when mixed or associated with hyacinths, tulips, and other 
bulbous plants, a charming effect can be attained. Take a plant 
or two of any of the Maidenhair ferns, place alongside of them a 
few plants of different colored hyacinths, and nothing can sur- 
pass for modest beauty a window so filled, especially if nature is 
clothed out of doors in her Winter garb. Such little additions 
to home adornment make us feel more happy, more contented, 
and add to every inmate's comfort. 

Ferns are easily cultivated if a few practical details are ob- 
served. Growing in their native habitats they are, for the most 
part, found in shady positions, where, during their growing pe- 
riod, they have an abundance of moisture at their roots ; there- 
fore, under cultivation, a shady window is for most kinds more 
suitable than a sunny one, and during their season of growth a 
good supply of water at the roots is demanded. While it is ne- 
cessary for their success to have an abundance of water, they are 
at the same time very impatient of a stagnant soil, and to prevent 
anything of the kind occurring, perfect drainage is indispensable. 
Not only is drainage a necessity in the cultivation of ferns, but 
it is also needed in the culture of all kinds of window and green- 
house plants after they have attained a certain size. No plants 
do I know, except aquatics, that succeed in a soil from which the 
water does not pass off freely. Plants growing in pots six inches 
in diameter and over should have good drainage. This may be 
cone by blacing over the hole iu the bottom of the pot 3a piece 
of broken pot, over this place more of the same material in small 
piebes, instead of this pieces of charcoal answer well. Fill about 
one-fourth of the pot in this manner, and over the top place some 
moss or other rough material to prevent the sail with mixing the 
drainage, and thereby preventing the water from passing freely off. 

The most suitable soil for ferns is a mixture of garden loam 
and the black soil found in the woods, about equal parts of each, 
then with a good sprinkling of sharp sand through the whole, 
giving more if the loam is clayey and less if sandy. 

Never use too large pots for ferns, especially the finer grow- 
ing kinds. After potting give a good thorough watering, and 
keep shaded for a few days until root growth commences, after 
which they can be inured to the light. If possible, never repot 
ferns until they have commenced to grow. I have often seen 
valuable specimens lost by repotting when at rest. Ferns gener- 
ally are not very liable to insects, the most troublesome being the 
brown scale, thrips, and occasionally on the young shoots green 



FLORAL TALKS. 81 

fly. The only way of getting rid of the scale is by sponging 
with clean water, care being taken not to injure the fronds. Old 
fronds when badly infested with this pest should be cut off. 
Nothing mars the beauty of these plants more than old and par- 
tially decayed fronds, and they should, whether covered with in- 
sects or not, be removed as soon as they appear unslightly. Fumi- 
gating with tobacco smoke destroys the thrips and green fly, care 
being taken not to have it too strong, as there is a risk of hurting 
tender fronds. In greenhouses snails are sometimes injurious to 
Adiantums; they eat the fronds as they start into growth. By 
laying pieces of cut potatoes or turnips about, the snails will leave 
the plants for juicy vegetables, and can then be caught and de- 
stroyed. 

Some ferns are well adapted for basket culture. The best 
kinds of baskets for this purpose being such as are made of wire. 
Nothing looks much prettier than a basket suspended from the 
center of the window rilled with a good healthy plant of any suit- 
able fern, such, for instance as the Nephrolepis exaltata, an ever- 
green fern, having long, sword-like fronds. This plant looks 
best in a basket alone, and soon forms a large round ball, the 
roofs coming through the bottom of the basket, and from these 
are produced new plants, and then eppears a large, compact-mass 
of leaves above and below. 

Platycerium, of Stag Horn Fern, is also a good basket plant, 
and, like the above, withstands a dry atmosphere for a long time 
with impunity. 

Adiantums, or Maidenhair Ferns, make most beautiful pot 
plants, most of the species being well adapted for culture in the 
house. Their fronds are also very useful for bouquet-making, 
and, in fact, floral work of any kind. 

Adiantum cuneatum. This specie is one of the best known, 
of.graceful habit, and one of the easiest grown. 

A. decorum. Another species well adapted for house cul- 
ture, the fronds in a young state being of a beautiful pink color, 
becoming bright green with age. 

A. Farleyence. The most magnificent of all the Maiden- 
hair ferns; the fronds are of a pendulous habit, pinnae large and 
deeply fringed, giving it a striking appearance. I have tested its 
qualities as a house plant, and find it one of the best for this pnr- 
pose, enduring well the dry atmosphere of the sitting room. 

Pteris tremular is a large-growing fern, well adapted for pot 
or basket; of easy culture and a bright green color. 

The different varieties of Pteris serrulata are all suitable for 
the window garden; some of them have the ends of the fronds 
crested, giving them a unique but attractive appearance. 

Several of the Davallias make fine basket and pot specimens, 
one of the most beautiful being D. Tyermanii, having long rhi- 
zomes from which are produced large, triangular-shaped fronds, 
finely cut, and of a dark green color, 



82 FLORAL TALKS. 

There are several species of tree ferns which, in their young 
state, are very suitable for growing in the house, but soon out- 
grow any small space. The best of them being alsophila aus- 
trails and dicksonia antarcticar 

Insect Pests. 

A few brief notes in regard to the destruction of some of the 
most prevalent insect pests may prove useful, and their destruc- 
tion should be accomplished promptly. 

The green fly on house plants and roses in the open ground 
can be destroyed by syringing with weak tobacco water — a mixture 
in hot water of soft soap and a small quantity of tobacco juice is 
excellent. In the case of house plants the green fly can be de- 
stroyed easily by smoking them with tobacco smoke, the plants 
being enclosed in a box or small room. Or the plants can be dip- 
ped or imersed in weak tobacco water. After either of these oper- 
ations syringe the plants with clear water. 

The rose bug can be destroyed by an application of insect 
powder in water, or by dusting the powder over the plants and 
insects, with a bellows, such as are used for this purpose. The 
same remedy is efficient in the destruction of the common cab- 
bage worm. 

Complaint is often made of a little black beetle that destroys 
the flowers of the Aster. Pyrethrum or insect powder will de- 
stroy it. 

Cut worms are often destructive in some fields during the 
month: one of the best ways to manage them is to mix one part of 
Paris green or London purple with twenty parts oi flour, and 
dust it over some young cabbage leaves, and place these along 
through the field they infest, turning the powdered side down. 

The grub of the May beetle is a very destructive creature, 
and it is almost impossible to destroy it directly. The best course 
to pursue is to make bonfires, burning old brush at night during 
the month, most of the insects will be destroyed by flying into 
the fires. 

White Hellebore is the best sure destructive agent to the 
Currant and Gooseberry worm. 

Mealy bug can be destroyed by use of a kerosene emulsion; an 
easy way of preparing it is to churn up equal quantities of kero- 
sene and sour milk, and this can be well done with a egg beater. 
Then use a teaspoonf ul of the mixture to a pailful of water. The 
same preparation can also be used successfully against Cabbage 
and Currant worms; it has also been employed satisfactorily for 
destruction of the Squash bug. For this insect it needs to be 
thrown upon the plants with considerable force, such as can be 
given with a hand force pump; when merely sprinkled on it fails 
to reach the under sides of these insects, where it affects them. 

We advise the use of this kerosene mixture for the riddance of 
any new insect pests, the means of whose destruction is unknown. 



FLOBAL TALKS. 83 

This substance is so valuable an insect destroyer and should be 
so well known that we shall probably be doing service to many 
of our new readers by here repeating some directions given con- 
cerning it last year. 

"One mixture is as follows: Boil a quart of soft soap with 
two gallons of sour milk, and when cool add one gallon of kero- 
sene; the whole is then churned for half an hour or more until 
well mixed. When used dilute with twenty times its bulk of 
water. Professor Trelease, of the Wisconsin Experiment Sta- 
tion, says: ' As the result of numerous experiments, I would re- 
commend an emulsion consisted of refined kerosene two parts; 
fresh, or preferably sour, cow's milk one part.' The oil and 
milk are churned together from fifteen to forty-five minutes, 
varying with a temperature. The chunning requires to be more 
violent than can be effected with an ordinary butter churn, and 
the aquapult force pump is recommended for the purpose. ' The 
pump should be inserted in a pail or tub containing the liquids, 
which are then forced into union by continuous pumping back in- 
to the same receptacles through the flexible hose and spray nox- 
xle.' When this process is carried far enough * the liquid finally 
curdles, and suddenly thickens, to form a white glistening but- 
ter, perfectly homogeneous in texture, and stable.' This but- 
ter should be put up so as not to be exposed to the air, and can 
be used as needed by diluting it with water, two gollons to a 
pint of the butter." 

The slugs that eat the leaves of Rose-bushes and Cherry and 
Pear trees, can be killed by syringing them with whale oil soap 
and water. 

The codlin moth can be destroyed by means of Paris green 
and water— one poumd of the poissn to one hundred gallons of 
water — applied with a force pump, throwing a spray over the 
whole tree while the fruit is about the size of marbles, or within 
two or three weeks after the fall of the blossom'. If heavy show- 
ers should occur, a second spraying might be necessary. 

Some of these insects and many others are caught by keeping 
shallow vessels of sweetened water and a little vinegar added, 
hanging about the orchad until July, and again in the month of 
August. 

The Apple tree and Peach tree borer, when they have work- 
ed into trees must be worked out or killed with a stout wire, and 
afterwards, as protection, coat the bark of the tree about the base 
with lye, or soap and water, soft soap and corbolic soap being 
best. 

A Variegated Fern. 

Under the popular but rather indefinite name of Silver Fern 
we have the well-known Pteris argyrea, one of the most orna- 
mental ferns in cultivation at the present time. It is an ever- 
green greenhouse plant of robust growth, the fronds being from 



84 FLOKAL TALKS. 

two to four feet in length, the pinnas being pinnatifid and the 
lower pair bipartite and of a beautiful and distinct silvery white 
color, margined with bright green, the decided contrast in color 
making it one of our most valuable ornamental plants for green- 
house and conservatory decoration, and, besides, it is equally at 
home in the window garden. It is a plant that can be easily 
cultivated, and should be given a compost of turfy loam and one 
part of well-decayed leaf-mold, well mixed. In potting use 
porous or soft-baked pots, and let them be proportionate to the 
size of the plant, and see to it that ihey are well drained ; for al- 
though the plant requires a liberal supply of water, yet it dislikes 
to have water standing around its roots. During the plant's sea- 
son of growth, which is principally during the Summer months, 
it should be given a warm, moist atmosphere, and a liberal sup- 
ply of water both overhead and at the roots, but on the approach 
of cold weather the supply of water should be gradually reduced. 
During the Winter season the plants should be given a tempe- 
rature of from 50° to 55°, and enough water at the roots to pre- 
vent them from becoming dry. 

Propagation is effected by a careful division of the plant, and 
also by spores, the former being for amateur cultivators the most 
preferable method of increasing their stock. In dividing the 
plants, select those that have compound crowns, and cut them 
apart with a sharp knife, being careful to have some of the root- 
stock with a portion of the roots attached to each. Now pot 
them, using as small pots as possible, water thoroughly and place 
in some cool, damp, shady situation until they commence to root, 
when they can be removed to their former situation. In order 
to obtain good specimens the young plants should be repotted as 
often as necessary, and every available means employed to secure 
a rapid and uninterrupted growth. 

This Pteris is rather subject to the scale, especially when 
grown in a dark situation or crowded among other plants. As 
prevention is better than any remedy, all such conditions should 
be carefully avoided. It is also advisable to carefully examine 
the plants occasionally, and if any scale are noticed, they should 
be carefully removed. Slugs are also very partial to these plants 
and one will ruin a large specimen in the course of a few nights. 
The very instant their visits are noticed search for and destroy 
the intruders at once. This Pteris is one of the best ferns we 
have for cultivation in the window garden, and can be grown 
with excellent results by following carefully the directions here 
given. 

Window Boxes. 

Window boxes for growing flowers are becoming yearly more 
popular, especially in crowded districts where there is no place 
lor flower beds. Not alone in these places are they, however, 
beginning to be seen and used for this branch of window garden- 



FLORAL TALKS. 85 

ing, but for the decoration of the spacious mansion they are also 
well adapted, and fill a place in the floral decoration of the house 
nothing else can. On the upper stories this branch of gardening 
can be carried on as successfully as in the basement of the build- 
ing. A love for the beautiful as exhibited in the culture of flow- 
ers is not confined to those having ample means and plenty of 
room for carrying out their desires in the way of large flower 
beds in Summer and greenhouses in Winter, but the occupant of 
the garret rooms, with no other means of cultivating a few plants 
but a small, dingy window, may also possess a true love for Dame 
Flora, and one of the best means by which a person so situated 
can satisfy his desires in this respect is by the use of a window 
box. 

Window boxes can be made of a very ornamental character, 
or they can be made plain, but require to be of a size suitable 
for the space they are to occupy. They may be made of strong 
wire and lined with moss to keep the soil from dropping out, 
or they may be made of wood and decorated to suit the tastes 
of the owners. One main feature in window boxes is to provide 
ample means for the water to pass off freely. Plants will not 
long retain a healthy appearance if the soil gets saturated from 
imperfect drainage. The best kind of bottom for such boxes is 
made of narrow strips of wood nailed on, leaving a space of about 
half an inch wide between them — this allows a free passage of 
the water. Another good means by which the water can pass off 
freely, especially if the boxes are to rest solid on the window sill, 
is by making several auger holes along the bottom of the sides. 
It is not best, however, to let the box rest solid on the sill ; raise 
it up an inch or so, or, what is better, support it on brackets inde- 
pendent of the sill. 

The most suitable soil for filling the box is what can be ob- 
tained from a mixture of rotten sod manure; the manure should 
be sufficiently decayed so that it can mix with the soil freely. 
Place over the bottom pieces of charcoal, broken crockery-ware, 
or similar material for drainage, then fill up with soil, and it is 
ready for seeds or plants. A leading feature to be observed in 
filling window boxes is to have a sufficient quantity of good 
showy, healthy growing vines, without which a window box is a 
rather tame looking object. There are some vines which are 
strong growing, and make rapid growth when allowed a support, 
but are comparatively useless when allowed to droop over the 
edge of a box. This class of them should be carefully avoided 
and such kinds chosen as grow well in a drooping form. Some 
of the best for this purpose are here noticed. 

Othonna crassifolia, a beautiful drooping plant, having dark 
green, succulent leaves ; the flowers are small, yellow, and pro- 
duced in the greatest abundance. For enduring the bright sun 
and dry weather we can have nothing to surpass it. 

Maurandya. Of this vine there are several colors— blue, 



86 GLOBAL TALKS. 

pink, and white. It is of very free growth, producing its flow- 
ers, which are bell-shaped, in great abundance. This plant can 
be either produced from cuttings or seeds. 

Thunbergias have considerable variety in the color of their 
flowers — the different shades of yellow and orange, also pure 
white. They are from one to two inches in diameter, bell-shaped, 
and freely produced. They are liable to the attack of red spider 
if not kept carefully watered. The plants are mostly raised from 
seed. 

Nierembergias. Although this class of plants are generally 
grown for edgings of beds, and from their general erect growing 
habit, pinched back into bushy form, are well adapted for this 
purpose, still, if allowed to grow freely they assume a drooping 
form, and make excellent plants for boxes, especially N. gracilis, 
which has smaller flowers than N. f ructescens, but are produced 
in such abundance as to make one mass of bloom. 

Tropseolums are also suitable where a strong growing vine is 
required, but the double varieties, which do not make such a 
strong growth, are well adapted for this purpose. They are al- 
ways in bloom, always attractive, under even the most adverse 
circumstances. 

Besides these, there are lobelias in variety, Sweet Alyssum, 
the single or double flowering, or the variegated leaved double 
flowering variety, which is a fine plant for this purpose. English 
and German ivies, vincas, both Harrisonii and variegata, are suit- 
able, the main feature being to secure good healthy plants, and 
induce at all times a showy, healthy growth. 

For center plants, anything suitable for the flower garden can 
be used. When ample means can be employed, the finer kinds 
of foliaged plants can be used to advantage, such as the dwarf- 
growing palms, dracsenas, crotons, and the fine-leaved caladiums. 
Some of the best flowering plants are begonias, especially Bego- 
nia rubra and Begonia metallica ; also the tuberous-rooted varie- 
ties are well adapted for this purpose. Impatiens Sultani has no 
equal for this purpose ; it is one of those plants which is always 
in bloom from the time it is placed in a two-inch pot until the 
frost cuts it off in the Fall. For shady windows there are fuch- 
sias, ferns, and other shade loving plants. 

Keep off all insects and decaying leaves, give sufficient wa- 
ter at all times, sprinkling and washing the foliage when neces- 
sary to keep it clean and healthy. Plants half cared for will soon 
grow to be distasteful, while the bestowal of the attention neces- 
sary to keep them healthy will ensure a reward of keen enjoy- 
ment. 

Hardy Perennials for Beds. 

Every progressive gardener having in his charge puolic 
grounds is seeking for something new to attract attention, elab- 
orate and laborious beds are worked out in succulents, and other 



FLORAL TALKS. 87 

bedding-out plants, varying only from one year to another in de- 
sign ; the same plants year after year are familiar to all, by ap- 
pearance, if not by name, many with no beauty except as they 
form a patch of color in a patch-work design. It is late in the 
season before an attractive display of bedding out can be made, 
and, as the first frosts kill everything tender, the beds are often 
anything but attractive after this. 

Those in charge of cemeteries find an especial need for some- 
thing to brighten up their grounds on Decoration Day, the one 
day in the year when the largest number of visitors are present. 
Of course it is out of the question to have a display of tender 
bedding-out plants as early as this. Tulips are past, daisies and 
pansies are nice, but they cannot be used everywhere, and in 
most places there are not the facilities, time or funds to propagate 
the large number of plants that would be required to fill out the 
beds, and, in fact, this is the obstacle in the way of many places, 
public and private. What is wanted is something not expensive, 
easily propagated, and easily cared for with little labor and ex- 
pense — something we can always depend upon for a display at 
the desired season. 

Among the hardy herbaceous plants are several that will fill 
the bill and be of the greatest value for Spring and early Summer 
beds. The varieties of phlox subulata, the moss pink, will stand 
among the first for the purpose named. They form dense mats 
of fine evergreen foliage, are uninjured by cold or heat, the flow- 
er buds are formed in the Fall, and in Spring from the middle of 
May to the middle of June the plants are covered with a sheet of 
flowers. There are several varieties, and the most common kind 
has dark green foliage and bright purplish crimson flowers. The 
variety nivalis has lighter green foliage and white flowers. 

The Rev. John Nason, of Aldborough, England, has raised 
many fine hybrids and seedlings, and among them are three fine 
varieties of this phlox. Variety compacta is very dense and com- 
pact with bright rose colored flowers, variety model has very 
showy rosy-carmine flowers, and the bride has pure white flowers 
with a red center. 

The perennial candytufts are also valuable. They form low 
spreading plants with dense and dark green foliage, and are cov- 
ered the last of May and first of June with compact bunches of 
flowers an inch or more in diameter. 

Iberis sempervirens has pure white flowers that come early. 
Iberis Gibraltarica has narrower leaves and later flowers that turn 
pinkish with age ; and a new hybrid variety has red flowers, this 
will be, if it proves to be as represented, a valuable acquisition. 

Veronica rupestris forms a mat of short trailing stems cover- 
ed with fine foliage, and has, in June, abundant short spikes of 
dark blue flowers. 

The double sneezewort, archillaea ptarmica flore pleno is val- 
uable for a Summer and Autumn display of white. It is easily 



88 FLOKAL TALKS. 

propagated and hardy, and bears its full, double, pure white 
flowers in the greatest profusion right up to hard frosts. The 
flowers are valuable for cutting, of good substance and very 
pretty. 

A fine plant is the variegated day lily, f unkia lancifolia va- 
riegata. The variegation is very marked, the whole plant ap- 
pears a bright yellow in Spring and Summer, and holds its color 
well late into the season. The edges of the leaves are undula- 
ted, the plant is dwarf and compact, and nothing makes a more 
beautiful and desirable edging. 

The golden leaved thyme, thymus vulgaris variegatus, is very 
bright in Spring, and would be valuable for beds. 

There are white foliage plants that might also be used for 
Summer bedding ; antennaria, cerastium, and artemisia, with 
evergreen foliage forming dense tufts. 

For yellow, in Spring, the erysimum pulchellum is very fine. 
The plant forms oval masses of fine evergreen foliage, and is cov- 
ered with the brightest yellow flowers in early Spring that last 
for several weeks. 

For permanent beds the grasses are unexcelled. There is 
now such a variety with handsome plumes and veriegated foliage 
that a most interesting and graceful bed may be made that will 
be an attractive feature in any grounds. 

Plants to be used for early bedding should be placed in a 
nursery prepared for the purpose. Small plants may be put in 
either in Spring or Fall, and after a season of vigorous growth 
will be from six to twelve inches in diameter and ready for 
use. 

In Spring they should be taken up carefully with a ball of 
earth attached to the roots, and planted thickly in the beds where 
wanted. They will form a dense mat of green and come into flow- 
er as soon or a little later than they would if undisturbed. The 
flower will last in favorable weather from three to four weeks. 
Then, when the beds are wanted for other uses the plants may be 
removed, and divided if too large, and then be transplanted into 
the nursery. This frequent transplanting, instead of being an in- 
jury to the plants, is a benefit, when they are used for this 
purpose, for the roots are made compact and restain the earth, 
an important consideration for the success of the plant in 
moving. 

There are many hardy sempervivums and sedums that would 
be of value for temporary or permanent beds. The species and 
varieties vary in form, color and size greatly, and many of them 
have pretty and showy flowers in pink, purple, white and yellow 
shades. They are easily propagated, can be moved safely at any 
time, are perfectly hardy, and a large stock could be carried with 
very little expense. The sedums and sempervivums and the 
hardy opuntias will grow anywhere they can find a little soil or a 
moist crevice in which to push their roots, and many barren ledges 



FLORAL TALKS. 89 

and rough rocks might be made interesting by filling crevices, 
pockets, and beds with these hardy succulents. 

The use of hardy herbaceous plants for the decoration of 
public grounds is not an untried experiment. It has found able 
advocates among gardeners, and practical results may be seen in 
Swan Point Cemetery, Providence, R. I. , where the hardy plants 
have been used extensively to great advantage by the superintend- 
ent, Mr. Timothy McCarty. 

There are also many shrubs and small growing evergreens 
that could be used in making permanent decorative beds and 
groups in public or private grounds. There has been, within 
some years, a considerable addition to those plants that are at- 
tractive throughout the season by reason of their richly colored 
foliage ; and there is a broad field for the gardeners who will pull 
out of the well worn ruts and try something new, and use to better 
advantage the many valuable hardy plants within their reach. 

The Variegated Anthericum. 

A plant may be very beautiful and yet very difficult to pro- 
pagate or to rear, and, consequently, will always remain rare ; 
such a plant can never become a popular favorite, though we 
may admire it. It does not readily respond to the affectionate 
care we may give it, and so fails to receive the hearty sympathy 
which many humbler plants elicit. The Daisy, the Violet, the 
Pansy, the Forget-me-not, and many other highly prized plants, 
owe their popularity not only to their beauty, but also to the ease 
with which they are cultivated. The Geranium, or Pelargonium, 
could never have become so universal a favorite if it had not been 
so easy to multiply and raise that even the most unskilled plant- 
raiser can succeed with it. It is always pleasant to notice such a 
plant, for one has the assurance that any one who attempts its 
cultivation will succeed. 

The variegated Anthericum has been sent out for several years, 
and yet it is certain that it is not well known. It is a Liliaceous 
plant, and its parallel-veined gracefully curving leaves are bor- 
dered on each edge by a white stripe, making it very showy. 
The plant blossoms freely during Spring and Summer, throwing 
out numerous long, drooping flower-stems bearing small, white 
flowers. Each node of the flower-stem is furnished with a small 
bract, and at this point leaves and roots form. After blooming 
the flower-stems can be cut off, laid on the soil and covered a 
little, and in a short time the rooted plants can be cut away and 
potted. This Anthericum is excellent for vases, baskets and pots, 
growing well in the greenhouse, or window, quite free from 
disease, and little subject to insects. Its roots are thick and fleshy, 
requiring plenty of room. Another variety, known as pictura- 
tum, has a cream-colored stripe through the central portion of the 
leaf, while each edge has a green border. It is quite similar to 
the other in habit. 



90 FLOKAL TALKS. 

Hints on Window Gardening. 

I have often heard the remark among professional gardeners, 
speaking of a certain plant not very well known to the person 
addressed, " give it rather a wet than a dry treatment," or vice 
versa, and such a hint to one having a fairly good general know- 
ledge of the requirements of plants is usually sufficient. 

Take, for instance, Cacti, Echeveria, Sempervivums, and all 
succulent plants, together with the Hoyas, Geraniums, Oxalises, 
and nearly all bulbs", and although they will all take an abun- 
dance of water when growing freely, if properly drained, yet it 
may be said of them in a general way that they require a treat- 
ment inclining rather to dry than wet, and will succeed in a dry 
atmosphere. 

Again, take Ferns, Selaginellas, Pandanus, Palms, Dracaenas, 
Fuchsias, Heliotropes, Yincar major variegata, Marantas, Cala- 
diums, Callas, and they require rather a wet than a dry treatment, 
and to succeed well must have a moist atmosphere. Of course 
when partially resting, Fuchsias and Heliotrope require very little 
water and to be kept cool. Caladiums and Callas, when growth 
ceases, need a rest and to be kept dry. The first named should 
be kept warm also, not below 50° Fahrenheit. But I am speaking 
at present of the treatment of plants when growing, rather than 
resting. Moisture-loving plants would be much benefitted if a 
zinc tray the size of the window or table, and two or three inches 
deep could be used, so that fresh-growing moss could be neatly 
filled in between the pots and kept sprinkled more or less fre- 
quently, according to the state of the weather and the time of the 
year. In Spring and Fall with mild, cloudy weather, and not 
much stove or furnace heat in-doors, once a day would keep the 
moss growing. With more fire heat, or in hot Summer weather, 
three or four times a day would be necessary. 

As to soils for window plants, the majority of those 1 have 
named, and most others, do well in the compost of leaf -mould 
and loam and a small quantity of well-decayed manure. For Cacti, 
all succulents proper, and Hoyas, I always break up some char- 
coal in an old mortar and mix with the soil. 

I very often have would-be plant growers confess to me that 
they like to see beautiful flowers, 4 and would be glad to have some 
always in their windows, if they would grow without much at- 
tention. 

Now, what Canon Hole says to the rose grower — "He that 
would have beautiful roses in his garden must have beautiful 
roses in his heart,"— will apply to window gardeners. We must, 
to be successful, have them at heart. Then we shall take pains 
to keep informed as to their various wants. I am pretty sure 
that a knowledge of principles is what most persons require. This 
is to be obtained by reading what successful cultivators are all the 
time telling in the horticultural magazines. 



FLORAL TALKS. 91 

We shall have more accounts of successes with plants, and 
fewer complaints of bad results when all of us endeavor to treat 
our window plants as fellow creatures, for so they are; and will 
repay richly whatever watchful care they need. From five to 
ten minutes every day ought to take care of a good window full 
of plants. Who would not he willing to give that? 

Azaleas. 

The Azaleas are found in this country and Asia. The favor- 
ite greenhouse sorts are varieties from the Chinese Azalea, A. 
Indica. The plants are raised mostly from cuttings, except new 
varieties, which come from hybridized seed. Though thriving 
best in the greenhouse, yet with attention they may be success- 
fully raised in the house. In the window garden the Azalea 
should have a southern exposure, with plenty of fresh air, and 
not be over heated. Regular watering is one of the main condi- 
tious. It is not necessary to water every day, but never let the 
plants get entirely dry, especially when flowering. Daily sprink- 
ling of the leaves is also beneficial, unless the plants show flower 
buds. During the time of flowering the plants should be given 
the coolest place, as the flowers will keep three or four days lon- 
ger in a low temperature. The flowers are both single and double, 
and are from two to three inches in diameter, of a great variety 
of colors. The plant is covered with flowers from January until 
April. After flowering the seed-pods will commence to form, 
and these should be cut off, and the plant prepared for trans- 
planting by trimming. In transplanting remove the plant from 
the old pot without disturbing the roots. If the soil at this time 
is too dry, water it thoroughly, so that the plant can be lifted 
with the ball of earth. One size larger pot is sufficient, and it 
should have some pieces of broken pots or charcoal for drainage 
at the bottom. Peat mixed with sand is the soil used for Azal- 
eas. After transplanting the plant should be kept in a very cool 
room, but with plenty of light and sunshine. The daily sprink- 
ling of the leaves must be resumed. Those who would like to 
take cuttings should improve the opportunity at the time of trans- 
planting, and the cuttings, with a little care, can be easily rooted 
in saud under glass. During the Summer months, or as soon as 
night frosts are over, the plant in the pot may be plunged in the 
open ground in an airy and sunny place. Water should be given 
the plant as needed, and on hot days this will be at least twice, 
morning and evening. A few weeks before removing the plant 
to the house, liquid manure may be supplied twice a week. 

Vases. 

It is astonishing how many plants of unlike nature will grow 
and flourish and bud and blossom, when crowded in a vase, or 
given space, while plants of one kind growing in the same space 
would, inevitably, spindle, and droop and die. As an illustration 



92 FLORAL TALKS. 

of this peculiarity of plants I will try and tell you of an experi- 
ment of mine which resulted in the most striking success. 

For a vase for my purpose I utilized a " plum- basket" which 
had been made of the half of a flour barrel. A row of half-inch 
auger holes extended around the middle of the "basket," and a 
dozen or more holes were in the bottom. For a pedestal for the 
vase I used a round block, eighteen inches high. A favorable lo- 
cation was chosen, and the vase mounted on its pedestal. In the 
bottom of the vase a lot of sticks were laid criss-cross. The vase 
was then filled to within four inches of the top with soil from a 
spent hot-bed ; a lot of fresh sand had been added to this soil, 
and thoroughly incorporated therewith ; indeed, it had been 
worked over and over until it was just as light and mellow as it 
could be. Into this mellow bed we slipped from the pots a num- 
ber of plants — a miscellaneous collection taken at random from a 
flower-stand. In the center we planted a seedling canna, then 
nearly two feet high. This canna is so beautiful that it is deserv- 
ing of more than a passing notice. The leaves and stalks are of 
rich, reddish-brown color; the leaves have a shiny, satiny surface. 
The plant is now budding to bloom. It is towering aloft above 
the others. Around this stately plant we planted three spotted- 
leaved callas, intermediate between the callas, dry bulbs or scar- 
let gladiolus were placed. Next to the edge of the vase, to trail 
over it, we planted a cisons discolor, a white double-flowered ivy- 
leaved geranium, two drooping fuchsias — one red with double 
white corrolla, the other single with salmon petals and red cor- 
rolla. The rest of the space was filled in with double, white 
balsams, a variegated-leaved geranium, a pink, and a white bego- 
nia. This begonia has shiny leaves glistening as though varnished. 

These are the names of the flowers that grow in my vase, 
But ah ! how can I ever convey to your mind an idea of the ef- 
fect. 

A mass of varied foliage in a state of the utmost luxuriance. 
Intermingled with the beautiful foliage, and in exquisite and 
complete harmony with it, are the gleaming white and glowing 
scarlet flowers. The effect is exceedingly lovely. The fuchsias 
have bloomed in perfection all Summer long, and are still 
a-blooming, and will bloom on until frost. The cissus trails to the 
ground. The ivy-leaved geraniums, full of bloom, are trai.ing 
apace with it, and two other branches are climbing up the canna, 
and other branches are reposing wherever they can find a resting 
place amid the plants. The white begonia is spreading its glist- 
ening leaves abroad, and rising above the leaves are innumerable 
pure white flowers. Did 1 tell you there is a blood-drop begonia 
there, too, with its rich, drooping, blood-red flowers. And I for- 
got to name an ismene calathene, which is far more thrifty in this 
crowded vase than its mate growing in an eight-inch pot. The 
balsams bloom perpetually, and seem more delicately beautiful 
than those grown in the border. 






FLORAL TALKS. 93 

The vase is situated in a position where it receives the full 
benefit of the morning sun until ten o'clock. A tall tree shades 
it through the day, and the rays of the late afternoon sun find 
their way thereto through the flickering leaves. The plants in 
the vase receive a copious sprinkling morning and evening. Two 
or three times through the Summer a little fresh soil was sprink- 
led over that in the vase. That is all, not a plant in the vase 
withered or dried. It is replete with beauty, and I am delighted 
with my experiment. 

Lemon Verbena. 

The citron-scented plants are among the most favored and 
grateful to mankind, whether the Lemon Balm found in old gar- 
dens or astray by the wayside, and beloved by all the bees, Lem- 
on Thyme choicest of borderings, Cedronella or Citronella, pleas- 
ing even in barbers' essence, the Molucca Balm or Shell Flower, 
Lemon Geranium, and perhaps a dozen rarer things of kindred 
fragrance. The lemon principle wherever found is the purest 
nervous stimulant, acting on the whole system through the sense 
of smell, as well as in refreshing waters and teas. Spanish, 
French, Provencal and Mexican women depend on their lemon 
teas as our fair English neighbors on the Chinese herb, which in 
novels they are represented as perpetually sipping, and really 
drink about five times a day. Is Dolores or Rosita upset by a 
neighborly affront, the ill behavior of her children, or the break- 
ing of a string of beads, a burst of language instead of a burst of 
tears works up her feelings, and she flies for relief to the garden 
for a handful of her favorite lemon plant, steeps a pitcherf ull 
and solaces herself at intervals the rest of the day sipping it cold. 
It lays a hand of calm on her grieving nerves, and she feels made 
anew. In passing the Lemon Verbena and catching its blissful 
scent, I feel as if a whiff of some life-giving elixir had been grant- 
ed that would renew one if he could only Catch enough of it. 
One wishes American women, poor, nervous, unstrung creatures, 
would get used to taking lemon tea, lavender water, Hungary 
water, or other of those pleasing cordials of flowers whose bene- 
fits our ancestors knew so well. Nerves are best treated by per- 
fumes, which affect them as alcohol enters the blood. I have 
cured an oppressive headache, an imaginary ailment, by the scent 
of a fresh damask rose, have alleviated the nameless writhing- 
torture of spinal ailment with cool garden perfumes, and seen 
racking neuralgia relieved by the odor of sweet flowers. Why 
not? We know that faintness, vertigo and nausea, symptoms of 
extremity, can be driven off by lavender, citron and camphor 
scents, and sensitive persons have died of passing through vile 
odors; why should not these things be owned as agents of no 
common strength, and used for all they are worth? Sweet odors 
quiet nerves. Nothing known to American gardens is more a 
fountain of pure scent than the Lemon Verbena. 



94 FLORAL TALKS. 

You may fancy that I have a partiality for it, and guess 
right. Dozens of the plants flourish in my garden, and I would 
like to see a bush in every woman's flower border. Besides the 
refreshing scent, which is reviving as a whiff of camphor or am- 
monia, a leaf put in the tea-pot with the Chinese herb gives a fine 
flavor to common grades of tea. A growing plant of this Ver- 
bena, or of Lavender, purifies the air in a sitting or sick-room by 
chemical process, neutralizing bad air as really as carbolic acid 
or copperas by far pleasanter means. In old times strong herbs 
and their odors were the only disinfectants known, and were held 
proof even against the plague itself. Windows full of sweet 
smelling plants keep out flies, and the Lemon Verbena so fills the 
air about it with its vapory scent as to be specially useful in this 
way. 

The seed is troublesome to start, being fine as Portulaca and 
more sensitive. To be sure of its germination it is best, like all 
other fine herbs, sown in the Fall, or as soon as ripe, in very fine, 
moist sand, with one-third or less wood-mold sifted through, and 
a wet flannel or felt laid over the surface, with no other covering 
to the seed. Or, sow it with the thinned sifting of wood-mold, 
and cover the box with oiled paper tacked tightly over it, giving 
air every few days till the plants come up. Moisten by setting 
the box in water. By far the best way to supply the garden is to 
get a plant or two, which costs nc more than a packet of seed, 
and when it is well grown take cuttings from it, which start 
readily in sandy mold when covered with glass or paper. They 
may be rooted from June to September out of doors, or any time 
in a warm room. Take tender shoots three inches long, not 
woody ones, for cuttings. 

I find Lemon Verbena grows rapidly in a rich light soil of 
garden loam, old sifted manure and sand. Dig out a basin fifteen 
inches across and as deep, in the border, put in five inches of old 
leaves and manure with sand over. Set the plant deep, pour a 
quart of water round it, and sift the prepared soil into the 
water without pressing. As it settles it will pack the roots just 
right. Turn a peach basket or light cover over the plant, and 
shade till it throws out new shoots. It is rather a delicate thing 
in some respects, not liking hot sun while it is young, and shrink- 
ing at the first touch of frost. On this account it is convenient 
to grow a few plants in tile pans or boxes eight inches deep, that 
can be moved as desirable. In the strong sandy soil it loves, 
with good drainage, it is hardly possible to give the plant too 
much water from the watering pot. Three times a day in hot, 
dry weather I have watered my plants, and they throve grateful- 
ly. As it is grown for leaves, not for its pale violet flowers, it is 
best to clip these as soon as they appear. Nipping the buds only 
makes them start twice as many blossoms later, so let them flower 
and cut the bloom at once, before the plant loses force in the fer- 
tilizing process. Then give some guano water, or lawn dressing, 



FLORAL TALKS. 95 

to have it make fresh sprays. The sprigs may oc cut for drying 
at this time, if wanted, and are fragrant to the very stems as long as 
they last. But it is best to keep the Lemon Verbena as a window 
plant to perfume the room through Winter; the greatest care it 
needs being to guard from frost and sudden changes of tempera- 
ture. A plant lives twenty years if not frosted, and grows into a 
lovely shrub many feet high, its willowy, pale green foliage hav- 
ing much the grace of the California Pepper tree or Australian 
Acacia. Lemon "Verbena in Pacific gardens grows in a season or 
two to the size of a large Castor Oil plant, the rich volcanic sand 
and even temperature suiting its refined senses to a charm. A well 
grown plant is a fine ornament in sitting-room or conservatory, 
especially contrasted with the dark leaves of a Myrtle or Camellia. 

Echeverias. 

The Echeverias were brought prominently into cultivation a 
few years since for the valuable purpose they served in carpet 
bedding, and it is for this use they are now mostly in demand. 
They are fieshy, succulent plants, closely resembling the Semper- 
vivums, and their general treatment in cultivation is the same. 

Some of the species, however, have been considered sufficient- 
ly ornamental to be worthy of a place in the greenhouse among 
Winter-blooming plants. Conspicuous among them are E. secun- 
da and some of its varieties, especially glauca. The cut flower 
stems are very graceful with other flowers in vases, and are quite 
lasting. The flowers are of a neat, regular form, wax-like in ap- 
pearance, with shades of orange and orange-red. The plants are 
easily grown in good loam in ordinary greenhouse temperature. 
They are propagated by the small offsetts at the base of the ro- 
sette which, when removed, root easily. 

Plants intended for Winter blooming should be healthy 
specimens in early Spring, potted in good loam; keep them grow- 
ing through the Summer in a light, airy place, and remove any 
flower- stems that may appear during the Summer— with the ar- 
rival of Autumn this care may cease, though by removing them 
still later flowering may be further retarded. 

In fine bedding work the Echeverias can can be employed very 
effectively. 

Salpiglossis. 

The great variety of quaint-colored flowers amongst the Sal- 
piglossis has made them special favorites of mine, as I find them 
to be very attractive when tastefully arranged in vases of suitable 
patterns and dimensions. I have used these flowers rather free- 
ly during the Summer with sprays of sweet briar as greenery, 
and although they do not last long in a cut state, when lightly ar- 
ranged they are sure to be admired. I cut them with stems of 
various lengths, and select the lightest and brightest colors for the 
center of the vase, with the dark ones round them. When ar- 



96 



FLORAL TALKS. 



ranging them I never crowd the flowers. Many people use too 
many flowers in their arrangements. As a consequence they are 
so crowded that they never look well. In many cases if only a 
third of the quantity were used the arrangements would be more 
effective. I fill my vases three parts full with clean silver sand, 
and keep it regularly moist by pouring a little water over it every 
other day. I prefer sand to filling the receptacles with water only, 
as the sand enables one to keep the flowers in an erect position, 
as it is not pleasing to see them tumbling over the sides of the 
vase. 

Dicentra Canadensis. 

Among our many early Spring flowers there is none prettier 
or more graceful than Dicentra Canadensis. It grows in rich 
woods in nearly all the Northern States and as far south as Ken- 
tucky. Its finely cut, fern like leaves of delicate green, and its 
racemes of oddly shaped, nodding flowers, make it very attrac- 
tive. The corolla is heart-shaped, and of a greenish-white color 
tinged with rose, and the flowers have a fragrance somewhat like 
that of the hyacinth. The roots consist of small tubers, yellow 
in color, and resembling grains of Indian corn, which fact has 
given it the common name of squirrel corn. 

It is easily transplanted and takes kindly to cultivation, 
though it does not blossom quite as freely in the garden as in its 
native woods. 




36 91 






P* ,» ^ -SK* 






V 




Shir, o .<& f**&L« %>. . c° •^s58w^* * J* ♦ 



^Lr+ *> 



V • 



& ^iZLr* *> 



mm-, %j ' sssxa. \/' :% K\ *^** 






^ W * 



V ^ 






vv 

<**% 



^ 



i* . o ■ • . 



» ** « 
















* v * • «EoBTC2 * A. 






^°* 





• !••• ^ 















fcKMAN 

fRY INC. 

Ik, DEC 90 



N. MANCHESTER, 
ItviniANA 46962 



** .' 









LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 



Doamn32bi 




